Cavatinas
by kshearten
Summary: A series of vignettes set in the A Tempo universe that chronicle everyday events and special occasions in the Kutner-Hudson Household. Finchel FutureFic
1. The Other Woman

**Cavatina I**

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_**cava·tina**__ (kav__′ə__ tē__′__n__ə__; It kä__′__vä tē__′__nä)_

_noun  
Music  
A short, simple solo song or melody that is usually part of a larger composition, such as an opera or oratorio._

_Origin: Italian_

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**The Other Woman**

"Hello?" Michael Kutner called, dropping his bag inside the door of his darkened childhood home. No one responded, save for the family's Golden Retriever, Sarge, who ran out from the kitchen.

"Hey buddy!" He smiled and ruffled the fur on the dog's head fondly. "I guess nobody's home, huh?"

He took a quick look around; there was definitely no one in the kitchen or the basement man cave, nor was there anyone in their small backyard. Not that it surprised him, of course. The Hudson family was a family of go-getters, movers and shakers, and none of them really sat around for long, but he had thought at least one of his parents or siblings would be home by now. He sighed and hoisted his duffle bag back onto his shoulder and ran upstairs to his bedroom.

He entered the room and flung his bag on the bed, trying to steel himself for the weekend ahead. He hadn't been home in over a month, which was reason in itself for his mother to let him have it, but he also had some news that he didn't think she would feel too kindly about either. His dad was pretty good at making her see logic, though, so he could only hope that they would see eye-to-eye on this new development.

He walked into the darkened bathroom that he normally shared with Andrew to freshen up a bit for his family got home. He was washing his hands when he noticed an eerie blue light from under the door that led to his brother's bedroom and tentatively pushed it open. He saw Andrew's profile as he sat hunched over in front of his computer monitor, typing away madly with a big smile on his face.

"What's up, Wolowitz?" he called, causing Andrew to whip his head to the side in surprise.

"Oh, it's you," Andrew grumbled and turned back to his computer.

"What are you doing home?" Michael asked as he stepped into the room. He picked up a Rubick's Cube and nonchalantly began fidgeting with it. "If I had known you were coming home this weekend, we could have hitched a ride together."

"Got home last night – classes were canceled for the rest of the week."

Michael squinted over at Andrew. He knew plenty of people who attended MIT and none of them had mentioned their classes being canceled. "Really?"

"Yes really. Now get out of here, HD," he snapped, using his acronym for "Harvard douche". "And stop touching my stuff!"

He left, wondering what had gotten into his usually good-natured younger brother and headed downstairs to scrounge up some food. He smiled upon entering his mom's large, well-decorated kitchen. The room had been a scene of many family moments throughout his childhood, from arguments about the benefits of beef versus soy, to awkward sex talks, to impromptu concerts put on by his parents.

He pulled a container of Chinese out of the refrigerator and sniffed it curiously. He wrinkled his nose and put it back just as he heard the front door open. He poked his head out of the kitchen and grinned upon seeing his dad, balancing a few boxes of pizza, with his youngest brother and step-cousin in tow.

"Hey guys," he called, rushing over to help Finn with the pizza.

Christopher looked up and smiled at him, and Michael had to do a quick double take. Not only had ten-year-old hit a growth spurt, but he was looking more and more like their father as each day passed.

"Hey!" Finn exclaimed. "We weren't expecting you this weekend!"

"I was able to get some time off work, so I figured I'd come into town and visit you guys. It's been a while."

"Five weeks," Christopher said and Michael reached down to pull him into a fond hug. Chris didn't usually speak a lot, but when he did, it was because he had something to say.

"Not that we're keeping track," Finn clarified, walking into the kitchen. "Your mother's just been lamenting your absence since the day you left." Michael chuckled; that sounded just like her, of course.

"Can we eat our pizza out here, Uncle Finn?" George asked. "So we can watch the baseball game?"

Finn nodded and threw some paper towels their way. "When Aunt Rachel's away, the meat-eaters will feast in her living room," he joked. Turning to them as an afterthought, he called, "Chris, make sure Andrew knows we've got him some pizza."

Michael took them out some plates and sat down at the kitchen table. "Where is Mom, by the way?"

"Oh, she took Lainey to a show. One of her student's is an understudy and the lead just so happened to lose her voice, so they've gone to lend their moral support." He rolled his eyes. "It's just an excuse to catch a show."

Andrew came in quickly and grabbed himself the box on the top before hurrying back out of the room.

"Hey!" Finn shouted after him. "At least take a napkin. And bring the box back down when you're done!"

He shook his head and opened the refrigerator. "I swear to God his room is like science experiment. Your mom and I have stopped going in there when he's home… beer?" he offered.

"You don't have to ask me twice," Michael replied. "So what's George doing here on a school night?"

Finn groaned as he took a seat across from Michael. "Vivien dyed her hair green so it's World War III over at the Hummel-Hebert household. I told Jer we'd take him until the dust settles."

"Green?"

"Oh yeah. _Neon_ green."

"Poor Uncle Jer."

His dad shrugged and took a swig of his beer. "He's survived worse. Me on the other hand…" Michael looked over at him questioningly. "Your sister got into Juilliard."

"That's a good thing, right?"

"She also got into some program… in _London_."

Michael bit back a grin. "So I take it that's _not_ a good thing."

"I'm proud of her, of course. I just think she's a little young to be living abroad on her own for a year." Then he sighed deeply and shook his head. "You'll understand when you have a little girl of your own."

"Maybe." Michael fidgeted with the beer bottle in his hands.

Finn sat and inspected his son for moment. "So, what's up with you, Mike? Everything going okay?"

He nodded slowly. "Yeah, everything's going great. Classes are going good, internship is a breeze… I met a girl."

Finn smirked. "Oh _really_?"

"Yeah. She's working on her on her MBA. That's how we met, at this graduate mixer at the frat. She's funny… _pretty_. Really pretty. That's not all." He looked up at Finn, a slow smile creeping across his face. "We're engaged."

"No kidding?" Finn laughed, clapping Michael on the shoulder. "That's my boy! You didn't waste any time did you?"

Michael shrugged. "We've been dating for six months. I know it's a little fast, but she's the one, Dad. I just _know_. And it's not like we can get married right away, anyway. We talked to her parents and they agreed to pay for the wedding as long as we wait until we're both done with school and I can afford an engagement ring."

"That sounds reasonable to me," Finn said. "Does this dream girl have name?"

"Nya," Michael answered, a small smile tugging at his lips at the very sound of her name.

Finn grinned and held up his beer bottle. "Well then, to Michael and Nya!" They clicked their bottles together and lapsed into a companionable silence as they ate their pizza.

"So, when do we get to meet the famous Nya?" Finn asked as he finished off a piece of crust.

Michael cleared his throat and squirmed slightly in his chair. "Um… tomorrow."

Finn balked and stared at his son in bewilderment. "You're joking, right?"

"I know, I know –"

"You know I understand that you're an adult and I support you all the way. If you say that you love this girl and that she's the one for you, then I believe you. But your mother is going to flip her lid."

"I –"

"No, Mike, I mean _seriously_. She's going to _freak_ out. And you're only giving her one day to get used to the idea before you let that poor girl wander into her clutches. I'm just telling you now, there will be blood… and I will be hiding in the man cave."

"That's why I came home tonight, so that I could break the news and give her a night to sleep on it. How was I supposed to know she wasn't going to be home?"

Finn looked over at him incredulously. "It's called a _phone_, son. You got into Harvard Law _how_, again?"

"Okay, so maybe this wasn't my most thought out plan, but I kind of wanted to surprise everybody."

"Oh, they're going to be surprised."

Michael looked over at him pleadingly. "Well, maybe you could kind of tell her when she gets home tonight. Soften the blow a bit."

"Are you insane?" Finn asked. Then he sighed and shook his head. "Okay, here's what I'll do. I'll talk to her tonight, give her a heads up, and we can only pray that she doesn't go all Rachel Berry on us in the morning."

Michael heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Dad. You're a lifesaver."

"Yeah, well you totally owe me. If Lainey goes bugging you about London, you're on my side, do you understand?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "She's much too young and inexperienced to live overseas. Got it."

"I'm going to need another beer or four." Finn stood up and made his way back to the refrigerator. "This weekend is going to be a shit storm."

* * *

Michael woke up early the next morning to the dull sounds of his family getting ready for the day. Normally he would sleep in a little on his day off, but the smell of breakfast wafting into his room was just too much to resist. So he got up and made himself semi-presentable and headed downstairs.

As he neared the kitchen, he could make out the familiar sounds of the radio and his mom singing along. Maybe she didn't take the news as badly as he thought!

"Morning, Mikey," Lainey called when he entered the room. She then popped an earbud back into her ear and resumed hollowing out a grapefruit.

"There he is!" Rachel cried, opening her arms wide to him and pulling him down for a wet kiss on the cheek. He caught Andrew rolling his eyes from his spot at the island next to their sister. "My Harvard boy! How are you, baby?"

"I'm doing well."

"I hope you're hungry. I made you a special breakfast! Cranberry and orange pancakes with toasted walnuts!"

"Aw, Mom," he said, leaning over to dip his finger in the bowl of batter, "you didn't have to do that."

"Of course I did! It's not _every_ day that my oldest baby comes home!"

"Unlike Andrew here," Lainey commented, "who keeps coming home randomly when he's supposed to be in school."

"Mind your own business, prima donna," Andrew groused.

"Shut it, Wolowitz!"

"Knock it off you two," Finn ordered, not putting down his paper. Christopher and George sat next to him, a large stack of pancakes already between them, and giggled at the reprimand.

Michael chuckled and wrapped an arm protectively around Lainey. She was a pretty girl, and like Christopher, had Finn's features and height, standing at a leggy five foot eight, which was only a couple inches shorter than himself. From their mother, she had inherited her big brown eyes, loud mouth, and penchant for dramatics. Unlike their mother, though, she had a filter. "What are you listening to?"

"Just the Pas de deux from _Don Quixote_. Sebastian Fuller and I are dancing it for our end of year recital." She pointed her spoon at him. "You'd better come."

"I don't like that boy," Finn commented. "He smiles too much when he's hoisting you up."

Lainey rolled her eyes. "Daddy, Seb is gayer than this grapefruit. If he's smiling, it's because of Martin Hinckley, not me. Also, he just got his braces off." She turned back to Michael and smiled sneakily. "So, Mikey, did you hear the good news?"

"Nope, what news?" he asked, playing dumb as he poured himself a glass of orange juice.

"_I_ got into a special program with the Royal Ballet School in _London_."

"Oh really? Don't you think you're a little young to live abroad alone?"

Lainey glared at him. "Daddy got to you, didn't he?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he lied.

"Mama!" she cried, exasperated.

Rachel smiled sympathetically and patted her hand consolingly. "Don't worry, sweetie. You still have until next March to change his mind."

"No, she doesn't," Finn said, turning the page. "Because I'm not changing my mind."

"Daddy, don't you think you're being a little unreasonable?"

"Nope! End of discussion, Elaine."

"Daddy!"

"Hey, Rach, where are my pancakes?" he asked, ignoring her and finally setting the newspaper to the side.

Rachel plopped a plate down in front of him and turned back to Michael. "So, your father said last night that you have a friend coming to visit us this weekend!"

He had just taken the moment to bite into his food, which was entirely delicious, and stopped mid chew. Apparently this was his father's idea of giving her a heads up. "Uh…"

"Is he a law student too?"

"Um… no. Business."

Rachel looked at him expectantly. "Well, what's his name?"

Michael cleared his throat uncomfortably. "_Her _name is Nya."

Andrew's and Lainey's heads snapped in his direction and his mother raised an eyebrow. "Oh." She inspected him quietly for a moment before walking back to the stove. "I knew you'd bring a girlfriend home eventually. It was only a matter of time."

"About that, Mom…" he said. Andrew and Lainey leaned in closer, obviously interested in where the conversation was going, and things had gone still at the table behind them. The only sound in the room was Sarge's tail thumping the floor as he stared up at Christopher for a handout.

"She's actually my fiancée," he finally blurted, causing his brother's and sister's heads to snap in the direction of their mother.

Rachel stared at him blankly for a second before crossing her arms resolutely in front of her. "And I suppose you didn't know about this last night, Finn?" she asked her husband accusingly.

Finn paused, his coffee cup at his lips, and shrugged. "It wasn't my news to tell."

"Well, absolutely not."

"Excuse me?" Michael asked incredulously.

"I said no, Michael. You're much too young to get married!"

"Mom, I'll be 25 in a few months! That's six years older than you were when you married our dad," he argued, motioning towards Andrew.

"So, you're still in school."

"I didn't say we're getting married right away. She's got to finish her MBA and I want to pass the bar first. And hopefully have a job."

"Michael, marriage is a huge step. The responsibility for a family is tremendous. Have you even considered this?"

"Lainey, Christopher, George, why don't you guys run upstairs and change for school?" Finn suggested.

Lainey groaned, but stood to follow Christopher and George out of the room. Before she left though, she placed a placating hand on Michael's shoulder. "If you jump on the London bandwagon, I'll be nice to your fiancée," she said.

"Upstairs _now_, Elaine," Finn ordered.

It was quiet for a moment after the younger kids left and Andrew muttered under his breath. "Well," he said, "I think this is the perfect opportunity to tell you that I've been kicked out of the dorms for having pot in my room. But since you all have more important things to discuss, I'll get out of your way." He stood to leave, but Finn's stern voice stopped him.

"Stop!" Andrew froze and looked over at him, his face pale. "Basement."

"Nah, Dad, it's cool," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "I understand you and Mom have your hands full with Casanova over here, so we can talk about it later. And didn't you say that you have that really important meeting this morning? I'd hate for you to be late for that!"

"Well, Andrew," Finn said, standing up. "That's the _cool_ thing about being the boss. The meeting doesn't start until I get there."

Andrew gulped and met Michael's eye. "Good luck," Michael sighed.

"Yeah, you too." He turned on his heel and walked over to the basement door. "I'd just like to point out," Michael heard him say, "that Michael and I are the only Kutners left. If you kill both of us, you've effectively killed our good family name. So, I volunteer Michael as today's human sacrifice."

Finn sighed and turned to his wife. "If I'm not up in twenty minutes, call the cops because I've murdered your son. Any longer and I will have already gotten rid of the body."

Rachel shook her head and turned back to Michael once they were gone. "And I thought I had raised you two right."

"Mom!" Michael exclaimed. "I'm engaged! It's not like I just told you I've been prostituting myself on the streets for crack."

"You're right. But here I was thinking that I had raised a son that could trust me. A son that could be open and honest with me. Honestly Michael, how long have you been seeing this girl?"

Michael looked down at the plate in front of him. "Six months," he mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Six months," he said more clearly.

"Six months?" she cried, throwing her hands up in the air. "You really think you know a person after six months?"

"Um… let's think about this Mom. You married Dad after only a few months. You married Finn in even less time."

Rachel pointed at him warningly. "Finn was my boyfriend for two and half years."

"Yeah, with only an eight year break in between."

"Well this is about _you_, not me! What were you thinking throwing me into this position on such little notice."

"Mom," he groaned. "You're right, okay, I'm sorry. But we don't have to do anything fancy. I just want to bring home the girl I'm going to marry to meet my parents. I was just expecting a nice, quiet weekend so that you could get to know Nya. That's all."

"That's all, huh? You want to bring a total stranger into our home and treat her like family."

"That's the jist of it, yeah."

"Well, _fine_. Seeing as how I don't have a choice in the matter, I'll prepare the guest room today. There is no way you're sleeping in the same bed under my roof," she spat.

"That's fair."

"And I'll pick up something nice for a nice, _quiet_ family dinner." A sly look crossed over her face, but she hid it before he could say anything. He knew she was up to something, but there was no way he could prove it now. He could only hope that it wasn't too awful.

She sighed and massaged her temples between her thumb and middle finger. "Is there anything else you're not telling me? She's not pregnant is she? Her parents are okay with it?"

"No, she's not pregnant. And her parents are fine with it. I got to meet them over Spring Break."

"I thought you went to Cabo for Spring Break!"

He froze, knowing he was caught in a lie. "Um… no. They live Upstate."

Rachel huffed indignantly and took a seat at the kitchen table, forcing Michael to turn in his seat. "Well, what do her parents do?"

"Well, her mom's a homemaker and her dad's in politics."

"Politics?" she asked warily.

"He's a congressman." Rachel just looked at him. "Oliver Brennan," he clarified.

"Oh God!" she cried, burying her face in her hands. "They're _republicans_!"

* * *

It had been a stressful day to say the least. Once Finn left for work, and Lainey and the boys left for school, Rachel had effectively ignored her two oldest children. Not that Andrew seemed to want to talk too much anyway. He holed himself up in his room after being told off by Finn and hadn't been out since.

So Michael did what he could. His room was fairly neat and tidy since he hadn't been there in a while, so he caught up on some reading while Rachel stomped up and down the stairs all day. He breathed a sigh of relief when it was finally time for him to pick up Nya at Grand Central and ran out the door as quickly as possible.

He eagerly waited outside her platform and looked enthusiastically around for her as people rushed off her train. Finally he spotted her honey brown head in the crowd and hurried over to her. He scooped her up in an exuberance that stemmed from her absence at his side the night before (okay, it had only been one day since they had seen each other, but it was young love; he was allowed to be corny), and twirled her around in a circle, kissing her madly.

She giggled happily, her brown eyes sparkling, when he set her down. "Well, I missed you too!"

"You have no idea how much I missed you, hon. It was excruciating," he insisted as he stooped down to pick up her suitcase.

"Oh, don't be silly," she said, looping her arm through his and put her head on his shoulder as they walked out of the terminal. "It's only been one day. So… how do I look? Is this appropriate for meeting the in-laws?"

"You look beautiful!" he exclaimed, taking in her light blouse and flowy skirt. "You always look pretty, you should know that."

"Hm, maybe. But I would say you're a little biased."

"Possibly, but that doesn't mean I'm wrong," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her lightly on the lips.

"So, did you talk to your parents?" she asked when he pulled away.

"Yeah."

She gave him a sideways glance. "…and?"

"And they took it well."

"Even your mother?"

"Yeah," he lied, his voice higher than he liked.

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand in hers. "You have a tell."

"What do you mean?"

"Your voice always raises an octave when you're lying to me. You're going to have to overcome that before you set foot in court."

"What for? All my clients are going to be innocent."

They were at the street now and he stuck out his hand to hail a taxi. "So, she wasn't happy?" Nya asked as one finally pulled up.

Michael knocked on the back to get the driver to pop the trunk and threw her baggage in. "She's my mom," he said, opening the door for her and sliding in behind her. "She'll get over herself eventually."

"Are you sure?" She looked so adorably concerned that Michael had to lean over and kiss her again.

"Of course, sweetie. You forget that I grew up with her. She throws her diva fits and then she gets over herself just as fast. It's just something you come to terms with when your mom's a big Broadway star!" He embellished the last bit with some jazz hands and a big, theatrical smile, causing her to laugh softly.

"So, is there anything I should know before we get there?"

He chewed the inside of his lip thoughtfully. "Well, Andrew's in trouble because he got kicked out of his dorm, so avoid bringing up any topics that may lead to discussions about illegal substances. And if my sister mentions anything about London or the Royal Ballet School, just change the subject, and you should be good."

She nodded, looking only slightly horrified. "Okay, so let me do the quick run through again…"

"Nya, you're just now meeting everyone, you don't have to know who everyone is by heart."

"It calms my nerves if I'm at least familiar with everyone," she insisted. "So, your mother is Rachel and your stepfather is Finn."

"Well, yeah. But he's just 'Dad'."

"I know. I'm just trying to keep everything straight. Anyway, from your mother's first marriage, it's you and Andrew, and your half-siblings are Elaine –"

"Lainey."

"– and Christopher."

"That's everybody. Well, except for Sarge, the successor to our beloved Tank," he added.

"The Lab?"

"Labradoodle. But Sarge is a Golden Retriever. And my sister has a cat somewhere in the house named Tchaikovsky, but strangely enough, I haven't seen him since I've been home. I'm pretty sure he's a demon that only comes out at night."

Nya nodded. "And Demon Cat," she added to her list.

Michael grinned and kissed her on the cheek as they pulled up in front of the townhouse. "Here we are," he announced, paying the driver and hopping out of the ca. "Home sweet home!"

Lainey looked up at the house with big eyes. "_This _is where you grew up? It's amazing!"

"Says the girl whose family owns a country mansion in Upstate New York," he joked, taking her bag out of the trunk.

"Well, yeah, but this is New York City! And that's a real brownstone!"

He chuckled and led her up the steps to the front door.

"Is someone playing the piano?" she asked as he dug out the keys, the dull sounds of someone playing Beethoven reaching them on the front stoop.

"Yeah, it's probably Lainey. She's kind of the resident prodigy, although my brothers and I play some, too." He opened the door and stood back to let her walk in first. She stopped just inside the foyer and he took her hand. They walked into the front room where Finn was sitting with Chris on the couch, while the music in the alcove changed from _Für Elise_ to a funeral dirge.

"Never mind," Michael mumbled into her ear. "It's Andrew."

"Knock it off!" Finn shouted. He started slightly when he saw Michael and Nya standing to the side, but quickly recovered. He stood quickly and nudged Christopher to follow suit. "Oh, hey! I didn't realize you two were there."

Michael grinned proudly and placed a hand at the small of Nya's back. "Dad, this is Nya Brennan."

"Hello, Mr. Kutner!" she said confidently. As soon as the words came out of her mouth, though, she realized her faux pas, and turned bright red. "Oh no! Mr. _Hudson_! I am so sorry!" She looked up at Michael frantically. "I told you I was going to make a mistake."

True to form, Finn took her hand and clasped it firmly in his. "It's fine, Nya. You can call me Finn, I don't like being called Mr. Hudson, anyway," he said with a warm smile. "And it's very, _very_ nice to meet you."

"Oh, thank you, Mr – Finn! Thank you so much for having me in your home."

"And this is Christopher," Michael said, placing a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Hi, Christopher." She leaned over to look into his face. "You're very handsome, aren't you?"

Chris's ears turned red and he looked down at the floor, shuffling his feet. "Nah…"

Nya straightened back up, but Michael caught Chris looking up at her with the smallest of smiles on his face.

Suddenly there was a commotion at the top of the stairs, and Lainey ran down with a grace that only she could carry off. "Hello, Nya!" she said, enveloping her in a big hug. "I'm so glad you're here!"

Nya looked shocked for a second, but quickly returned the hug, grinning brightly at Michael. He knew he could always count on Lainey to make everyone feel special. "Hello, Lainey."

"I can't tell you how _honored_ I am to meet you," Lainey continued. "I've always wanted a sister, and I can hardly express how incredibly excited I am that my brother has finally found himself a woman that is worthy of his love and affection."

"Overkill, sweetheart," Finn said, taking her by the elbow.

"Why, Daddy, I'm ashamed at you. Can't I express my sincerest delight at finally meeting my future sister-in-law?"

"You're still not going to London."

Lainey's face fell and she scowled up at him. "I'll go get Mama from the kitchen," she said, turning indignantly on her heel.

"And that was my sister," Michael said as they watched her leave.

"I gathered that," Nya giggled.

"Is this her?" a voice came from the doorway.

"Don't be rude, Andrew," Finn admonished. "Come introduce yourself."

Andrew stepped in and grinned goofily at Nya. "Michael didn't say you were _hot_."

"Hey!" Michael and Finn snapped in unison.

"Well… um, thank you, Andrew."

"No thanks required," he said. "I like to appreciate beautiful things."

Michael groaned. "Will you cut it out?"

Andrew just laughed good-naturedly and held his hand out to Nya. "I'm just messing with you! I promise that I'm not a complete creeper."

"Yeah, he's just a little unhinged," Michael amended, shoving Andrew by the shoulder.

"Well, you know how it goes. You got all the looks and I got the _brains_."

"That's right," Nya said with a smile. "Michael told me you're studying to become an engineer."

"A software engineer. I'm working on a code now that, when complete, is going to make me totally rich."

"Is that what you've been doing?" Michael asked. "I thought you were hacking into the CIA."

"You cut me deep, HD. That's small fish compared to what I'm frying."

Finn rolled his eyes and motioned for them to sit down. "That's if you don't get kicked out of school first," he groused as he took a seat.

"The degree's just a formality, Dad. I can do what I'm doing without it."

"Oh, I'm sure Maura and Ben would _love_ to hear that," Finn said, crossing his arms, "considering they're paying for your education."

Andrew shrugged it off just as Lainey reemerged from the kitchen, Rachel following behind her. Michael felt Nya tense up beside him, and he squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It's go time," he muttered, standing up with his fiancée.

"Hello," Rachel said grandly, shaking Nya's hand daintily. "You must be the famous Nya!"

"Yes, ma'am. It's lovely to meet you, Mrs. Hudson."

Rachel smiled up at her, but did not return the sentiment. "Please, have a seat."

She walked over and took a seat at the arm of Finn's chair and Michael saw them exchange a meaningful look. He had long since given up on trying to decipher what his parents' secret looks meant, but if he had to guess, his father was trying to convey, "Please behave yourself," the best way he could.

Rachel's look, on the other hand, was scarier. "Don't bet your life on it," she seemed to say.

"Forgive me for making you wait, I was checking on the quiche," Rachel said aloud. "It's vegan. I do hope you like tofu."

"Of course," Nya exclaimed. "I'm surprised Michael didn't tell you. I don't eat meat."

"Is that so? Well it seems as though we have something in common already. While the men in this family still choose to feast off the remains of innocent animals, Elaine and I are both vegans."

Finn made a face at her description of his eating habits, but said nothing.

"I'm afraid I'm not that daring. I'm just your regular, run-of-the-mill vegetarian." Nya smiled over at Michael. "I still like my dairy products."

"Oh," Rachel said, looking down at her hands. "We don't believe in doing things half way."

"Ah." Her smile slipped a notch and Michael winced as the barb visibly hit home.

"So, how was your trip?" his mother asked, changing the subject.

"Very smooth."

"That's good, traveling can be such a hassle sometimes."

Nya nodded and exchanged a glance with Michael. He had warned her about this; it was time to switch tactics. So, she switched to what Michael had told her was a fool proof method to get his mother to warm up to her. "Mrs. Hudson," she said. "Forgive me for a moment if I gush, but I must say that I am more than a little star struck. Yours was the first show that I ever saw here in New York."

"Oh?"

"Yes, my parents brought me when I was twelve. I thought you were absolutely amazing. In fact, I still have the original cast recording. It's a shame you didn't do more shows!"

Rachel smiled. "Yes, well, it was a personal decision. I decided my time was best spent at home with my family. We probably wouldn't have had Christopher, otherwise. Besides, one Tony is enough for anyone."

Nya nodded in agreement. "I certainly can't blame you for that."

"Now, Nya, Michael tells us your working on your MBA."

"Yes ma'am. I'm in one of the executive programs."

Finn raised his eyebrows, obviously impressed. "Wow, a Harvard lawyer and a Harvard businesswoman. You two are going to have it really tough," he teased.

"And do you plan on working after you have children?"

Michael and Nya froze. "Well, Mom, we haven't really gotten that far. I mean, we're both still really young…"

"That's right," Nya agreed. "We want to be well on our feet before we even discuss babies." Michael nodded enthusiastically.

"Are you Jewish?" Rachel asked point blank.

"Mom!"

"What? It was simple question, Michael."

"Um, no. My family is Methodist," she said quietly.

"You know, Rach," Finn announced. "That quiche is smelling delicious. Is it going to be done soon?"

"In about twenty minutes, yes."

"That's what I thought! You know, Nya, if you'd like, Lainey can show you up to your room and you can freshen up a little before dinner," he suggested.

Nya nodded. "That would be lovely."

"I'll help with your bag," Chris said, jumping up and surprising everyone. Usually he kept to himself around strangers. "Girls are no good with that kinda stuff anyway."

"Well, thank you, Christopher, that's very gentlemanlike of you."

"Come on then," Lainey said, looping her arm through Nya's. "I'll give you the grand tour! You'll be staying on the third floor with me. Second floor is boy zone and, believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near there."

Michael waited until they were upstairs before turning to Rachel.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," she commented.

Michael scowled down at her. "Can you maybe try to be a little nicer?"

"I am being nice!" she insisted. "Finn, wasn't I being nice?"

"You were polite enough, but I think Michael means you could be a little warmer."

Rachel rolled her eyes just as the doorbell peeled loudly. Michael and Finn exchanged a worried look.

"Oh good, they're right on time!" Rachel giggled.

"Mom," Michael said, dread washing over him. "Who is that? I thought we agreed to a quiet family dinner."

"But it is family. Andrew, can you get the door?"

"Rachel," Finn said lowly, "what are you up to?"

He didn't have to wait long for his answer. "We're here for the party!" Kurt announced from the foyer, trouncing in with his children and husband in tow.

"Crap," Michael muttered, falling back on the sofa, his head in his hands. "Crap crap crap!"

"I brought the alcohol," Jer said dully, holding up a bottle of scotch.

"Awesome," Andrew laughed, trying to swipe it from his hands, but Jer lifted it out of his reach.

"Not you. Unless you're going to share some of that pot they found in your dorm room."

"Damn it, Mom," Andrew hissed. "Do you have to tell everybody everything? It wasn't even mine. I was holding it for a friend!"

"And O.J. didn't do it," Kurt commented. He turned to Michael. "So, where's the little woman?"

"Upstairs," Michael mumbled into his hands.

"Hey, did I hear the doorbell?" Lainey called, running back down. She stopped when she saw her uncles and her jaw dropped. "Oh shi-oot. Shoot."

Nya followed cross behind, a confused look plastered on her face. Thankfully Finn jumped on it, and took care of the introductions. "Nya, this is my stepbrother, Kurt, and his… Jeremy. The little one is George, and the one with green hair is Vivien."

"Oh, it's, um, very nice to meet you all," she said, polite to a fault.

"They're gay," Rachel said, smiling up at Nya. "And I don't know if Michael's told you this, but I have two gay fathers. We're a very gay-friendly household."

"Did she really just say that?" Jer asked, looking at Finn.

Finn took a deep breath and nodded slowly. "I think so."

Jer shook his head in disbelief and held the bottle out to Nya. "Would you like a drink?"

"Oh, no thank you. I don't drink."

"Are you sure you don't want to start?" Kurt asked.

Nya laughed and shook her head. "Vivien, I must say, you have your hair done very uniquely. Green is my favorite color."

"Do you think so?" Vivien asked. "My dads hate it." She turned to where Jer and Kurt where standing. "Because they're_ fascist dictators_!"

"On that note," Jer said, heading to the kitchen, "I'm going to start drinking."

"I think I'll join you," Finn grumbled, following him.

"Vivien, if we were fascist dictators," Kurt snapped, "we would have already killed you and hung your body up in a public place as a warning to those who disobey us."

"I swear," Michael heard Jer yell from the other room, "sometimes there is absolutely no question in my mind who her sperm donor was!"

"Shut it, Jer!" Kurt yelled back.

A timer went off somewhere in the kitchen and Rachel stood, looking pleased now that the damage was done. "Quiche is ready," she called.

Michael gulped and prepared himself for the dinner from hell.

* * *

Fortunately, dinner wasn't as horrible as he thought it would be. After the initial blow up, Jer and Kurt turned out to be fairly entertaining and were able to keep the flow of conversation going throughout dinner. Unlike Rachel, they reached out to Nya and had her laughing and carrying on like her usual self in no time. They didn't stay too long afterwards, Vivien spouting on about her lack of civil rights in a patriarchal society as they walked out the door.

As soon as they left, Rachel threw up her hands and stood up from her seat. "Well, that was enjoyable," she declared, although she had been quiet almost all evening when she realized her plan had blown up in her face. "I guess I'll go clean up the kitchen."

"Would you like any help?" Nya asked helpfully.

"I got it," Michael said quickly before Rachel could answer. Rachel just shrugged and left the room.

"Me too," Finn added.

Michael was seething with irritation by the time he followed his mother into the kitchen, Finn following close behind. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Mom!"

"What?" she asked, blinking innocently up at him.

"God! I knew you could be ruthless when it comes to getting what you want, but this is ridiculous! I thought Uncle Kurt was lying about the time you sent an exchange student to a crack house, but after the extremes you're going to make Nya feel unwelcome, I almost believe him!"

"That's actually true," Finn chimed in.

"Really, Michael," Rachel said, ignoring her husband. "I have no idea what you're talking about. In all honesty, I think you're being a little dramatic."

"Oh, please! I told you to keep it simple tonight, that I wanted a nice family dinner so that everybody could get to know her, and what did you do? You invite Uncle Kurt and Jer over!"

"Michael, I'm surprised at you! They are a part of this family."

"_Extended _family. I'm sorry, but they're also the most dysfunctional family ever. And what was the with the 'gay friendly' stuff? I know we're open-minded, but you were one rainbow flag away from a full blown gay pride rally in our living room."

Rachel crossed her arms and glared at him. "Since when has this been a family that's ashamed of what we believe in?"

"It's not that, Mom! It's the fact that you're shoving all this stuff down her throat in hopes that it'll be too much and she'll call off the engagement. That's not going to happen! Can't you just be happy that _I'm_ happy and try and get to know her instead of acting like a complete psycho?"

Rachel's jaw dropped and she turned to Finn in shock. "Michael Aaron Kutner! Did you hear what he just said to me, Finn? Are you going to just stand there and let him talk to me that way?"

Michael looked to Finn, knowing if he lost him now, he lost the only person who would help him talk some sense into Rachel. "Maybe 'psycho' was a little much," he said, quickly, noting the wary look in Finn's eyes.

"Maybe," Finn agreed before turning back to Rachel. "But he's right."

"Excuse me?" Rachel asked, her eyes flashing dangerously. Michael's eyes darted between his parents; it was a rare day indeed when they didn't form a united front in front of the kids.

"Michael's _right_, Rachel," he said again. "You're totally bullying that poor girl. Don't you think you at least owe it to our son to give the girl he loves a chance?"

"You know what? I don't have to put up with this! You two can clean up without me. I'm going upstairs." At that, she performed a legendary Rachel storm out, leaving Finn and Michael in the kitchen alone.

Michael groaned and leaned over the island. "This is a disaster."

"It ain't over until the fat lady sings," Finn commented as he picked up a pan and started scrubbing with a look of distaste on his face. "Or in this case, your mother… not that she's fat, she just likes to sing… you know what I mean."

"Either way, Nya thinks Mom hates her. Why can't she just be normal for once instead of acting like the entire world revolves around her?"

"You know that's not true," Finn chastised. "She's always done a lot for you and your brothers and sister."

He sighed. "I know."

"She just doesn't like change unless she's the one who initiated it, you know that. And you're her oldest; she's always had a soft spot for you." Finn looked down and smiled a little sadly. "She always depended on you a lot, Michael, especially after your dad died, so it's hard for her to let you go."

"Just like you and Lainey?"

"That's different. Lainey really is just a kid."

They were quiet for a few minutes, Finn washing and Michael drying in turn.

"Don't worry about your mom," Finn finally said. "I'll talk to her tonight."

"Thanks, Dad."

* * *

The next morning, Michael slept in and trudged down the stairs, dreading an entire day of putting up with his mom's particular brand of torture. He was surprised upon entering the kitchen though; instead of finding everyone in a state of awkward silence, Nya was seated happily between Rachel and Lainey who were chattering gaily. Chris sat across from her, looking at her with puppy dog eyes.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Well, you missed breakfast," Rachel said, "so it looks like you're going to have to settle for cereal."

"Your mother made stuffed French toast," Nya commented, smiling over at Rachel. "She's going to give me the recipe."

"Really now?" he grumbled, pouring himself a bowl of Frosted Flakes.

"Mhmm. And we're going shopping in a little while, so you'll have to fend for yourself today."

Michael froze and looked over at his dad. Finn didn't return his gaze, just set his mouth in a thin line and stared down into his coffee.

"Lainey and I are taking her to check out Fifth Avenue," Rachel clarified. Well, that explained Finn's demeanor. "You know, a regular girl's day out. And I've made reservations downtown at that Italian restaurant your father likes. Just for the four of us."

"What about them?" Michael asked, nodding to Lainey and Christopher.

"Please, Mikey," Lainey scoffed. "I'm more than capable of taking care of Chris for one night. Besides, I'm getting paid!"

Michael squinted at Rachel, but she only grinned brightly in return. She didn't seem like she was up to anything, but there was no guarantee she wasn't contemplating pushing his fiancée in front of a bus.

"Well, we better go get ready!" Lainey said, taking Nya by the hand. They giggled together and rushed out of the room, Rachel following close behind.

Michael looked over at his father and raised an eyebrow. "Do you think this is safe?"

"Yes," Finn sighed. "The only permanent damage today will be done to my credit score."

"Thanks, Dad. You're taking one for the team."

"Yeah, well now you _really_ owe me."

* * *

Michael didn't know what Finn had done to convince Rachel to lighten up (or maybe he did; either way, that was something he did _not_ want to think about), but she was like a whole new person for the rest of the weekend. Apparently she and Nya had really bonded during their day out, and during their fancy dinner downtown, they monopolized the conversation, leaving him and Finn sitting at the table like two awkward bumps on a log.

He didn't know what worried him more, the fact that Rachel may hate his fiancée or that they may become best friends and Nya would never have time for him again. He didn't rule out that it could be another one of his mother's grand plans to control his life, but that was something he would worry about when the time came.

On Sunday, Rachel prepared another big breakfast for the departing college students. Andrew had weaseled his way back into their good graces somehow, and they had convinced Michael to let him bunk on his sofa for the remainder of the semester. He agreed reluctantly under the provision that Andrew started looking for another place to stay as soon as classes were through.

They had just finished packing up and were bringing their stuff downstairs when Rachel cornered Michael and Nya. "Do you two have a moment before you take off? I'd like to speak with you."

Michael looked over at Nya, who only shrugged, and they followed Rachel into the small alcove where she kept her piano.

"First of all," Rachel began as soon as they were all settled, "I wanted you to know how much I enjoyed getting to know you this weekend and that I truly hope that we can get together again soon. I would also like to apologize for my behavior when you first arrived here, Nya. I was inexcusably rude and I never should have treated you that way."

"Oh, that's al-"

Rachel held up a hand. "I'm not finished yet." She looked down into her lap and cleared her throat. "I just want you to know that it wasn't out of any dislike for you. Michael… has always been very special to me. I just want to make sure that the girl he marries knows that and realizes what a gift he is."

Michael felt a lump in his throat begin to form and he tried to tramp down the emotion boiling within in him as Rachel continued. "When my first husband died, Andrew was very little and he didn't understand, so that was a pain that Michael and I shared together." Her voice cracked and it took her a moment to regain her composure. "Since then, I've always depended upon him a little more than my other children. Probably a little too much."

Nya sniffled and took Rachel's hand. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that it makes me very happy that he found you, Nya. And I know David would have loved you."

Michael looked away to give himself a moment to fight back the tears he felt welling up. When he looked back at Rachel, he tried his best to give her a smile, but it came out shaky at best, and his bottom lip trembled slightly. Finn was his dad in every sense of the word, and he knew he would never be able to choose between the two men, but his heart still ached for the father he hardly knew.

"I would like to give you both something." She reached into the oversized pocket of her dress and pulled out a little jewelry box. "Finn told me that your parent's agreed to help pay for the wedding, but you both had to finish school first, which I agree with entirely. And that Michael had to be able to afford to buy you an engagement ring first. I know how expensive these things can be, so I thought… I thought that you should have this."

She handed the box to Michael and he opened it to find a ring with a large diamond flanked by several smaller ones. "That's the ring David gave to me. I know it's a little flashy and may not be what you're looking for, so if you'd like to sell it and purchase another, that's perfectly fine with me. Either way, you need to get this girl a ring."

Michael chuckled and held it out to Nya, whose eyes were as round as saucers. "No, Mrs. Hudson! It's beautiful… I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"Call me Rachel," she insisted, giving Nya a hug. Then she turned back to Michael. "Baby, what are you waiting for? Put it on her!"

Michael slid it onto the ring finger of Nya's proffered left hand, expecting it to be too small, but to his amazement, it went on very easily. "Well, would you look at that?" he commented, admiring the way it sparkled on her finger.

"Aw, we have the same ring size!" Nya cried.

Rachel chuckled and shrugged. "Well, that was before I had four children," she commented wryly.

"Oh, do you mind if I go show it to Lainey before we take off?" she asked, her voice laced with excitement.

"Go for it," Michael laughed. After giving Rachel one last hug, she hurried from the room, leaving him alone with his mother.

"Thanks, Mom," he finally said. "That really means a lot to both of us."

"You deserve it."

"And you really like her?" he prodded.

"Of course I do! She's a little like me, don't you think?"

"Yeah," he squeaked, hearing his voice rise. Damn, Nya really was right about that tell. Fortunately, Rachel didn't seem to notice and looked at him forlornly.

"You won't wait so long to come home next time?" she asked hopefully. "You can bring Nya whenever you'd like."

"I'll be home in a couple of weeks," he promised with a smile. "Thanks for being so mature about all of this."

Rachel stood and rolled her eyes. "Oh, sweetie, this was a walk in the park compared to what you're going to go through when you tell your Bubbe. I'm going to tell you right now, I don't want to be within a three block radius when that goes down."

Michael watched as she walked out of the room, his smile drooping as her words dawned on him. "Crap!"

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__I hope everyone enjoys this first __**AT **__one-shot! It's much longer than I anticipated it would be, but I assure you that the rest will not be nearly as lengthy. The second onesie is almost complete as well, and I should have it posted at the beginning of next week. I know there are a few hanging plot points, (i.e. Lainey going to London), but don't worry, those will be addressed later on._

_And, for those who know her, Nya is named for the daughter of a wonderful friend I've made through the Glee fandom, MaraMac! She was patient enough to help me edit this sucker, and for that I will be eternally grateful! :-P_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes._


	2. A Day in the Life of Finn Hudson

**Cavatina II**

**A Day in the Life of Finn Hudson**

_6:00 AM_

"Good morning, New York! You're listening to _Brad and Brian in the Morning_. It's six o'clock, bright and early, on this lovely first day of fall, and I ho-" Finn's hand shot out from under the covers, and fumbled desperately around the nightstand, knocking his watch and cell phone to the floor, before finally finding the snooze button. He groaned inwardly and buried his face further into his pillow in an attempt to block out the early morning sun peeping around the edge of the curtains.

"Finn," he heard just as he was about to doze off. "Finn, it's time to wake up."

"But I don't wanna," he grumbled.

He heard a soft giggle and then felt the delicious weight of his petite wife climbing onto his back. "Finn," she murmured, placing kisses along the back of his neck, "wake up!"

He tried to ignore the all too pleasant sensations she was stirring up, particularly below the belt, but then she caught his earlobe in her teeth and wiggled her hips suggestively. "If you wake up now, maybe you'll have a little time to _get up_," she whispered seductively into his ear.

He didn't have to be told twice and flipped over onto his back so the he was facing her. He smiled sleepily up at her and took her face into his hands. "Good morning, Rachel."

"Good morning," she replied brightly. Then she leaned down and crushed her lips against his in a hungry kiss.

He was just getting into it, having worked his hands up into her nightgown, when he registered a soft cry from the baby monitor on her side of the bed. They paused and listened, hoping the baby would drift back to sleep on her own, but her cries only grew progressively louder.

Rachel looked down at him apologetically. "I'd better go see to Elaine."

He tried to cover his disappointed sigh with a yawn and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I need to jump in the shower anyway."

She smiled and placed one last, chaste kiss on his lips before climbing off of him. He watched as she grabbed her robe and walked out of the room, and then he turned and stared blankly up at the ceiling, resisting the urge to cram a hand down his pajama bottoms and take care of the job himself.

God! What was wrong with him? It wasn't like he was a 17 year old boy anymore. Okay, maybe it had been a week (or two; in all honesty, he had lost count after a couple of days), but they had both been exhausted from work and the kids. This was normal, right?

He ran a tired hand down his face. Either way, it looked like he was in store for another cold shower.

* * *

_7:20 AM_

Crap, crap, crapcrapcrap! He was already running late as he rushed down the stairs, his suit jacket and tie in hand. "Boys!" he called. "Are you ready?"

He burst into the kitchen and five heads swiveled in his direction.

"Oh good," he muttered, realizing that they were already in their school uniforms and finishing up their breakfast.

"Morning, Finn," Michael said, turning back to his food.

"Hey, Dad." For Andrew, it had been a simple transition from "Finn" to "Dad." It was just plain fact to him that the man who was married to his mother was naturally his father, and he didn't ask any questions. Michael, on the other hand, still called him by his given name. Not that Finn blamed him; it just kind of bugged him.

He mumbled good morning and leaned over to plant a kiss on the baby's forehead. His eyes bulged when he realized that Rachel had pulled out the big guns this morning, making them an entirely unhealthy meal of sausage and egg breakfast sandwiches.

"Oh! Is today a meat day?" he asked, taking a seat by Lainey, who sputtered happily at him from her high chair. She was very social for a four-month-old and became cranky when she wasn't in the center of the action. Tank turned back to Andrew and continued waiting patiently for a scrap.

"Not for you," Rachel muttered, dropping a plate in front of him with a bagel on it. "I told you yesterday that we needed more eggs."

He made a face before smearing some cream cheese on the bagel. "Sorry, I forgot. I'll go this afternoon."

"No you won't," she said, turning back to the island where she was preparing Michael and Andrew's lunches. "You'll forget. You _always_ forget."

"Rach, I said I would go, so I'll go. I'll make a note of it or something."

She shook her head and brushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "There's no need, I've already got to run to the store for a few other things."

"Make me a list," he persisted.

"Finn, last time I made you a list, you still forgot half the things on it and the other half you got all wrong. I've already fit a shopping trip into my schedule, so I'll just go then. Do you want a cup of coffee?"

He bit back a retort and shook his head. "No, the boys and me have to take off."

"The boys and _I_," she corrected, dropping a cup of coffee in front of him anyway.

Just then, Lainey began to whine plaintively at him, obviously not liking being ignored. He couldn't help but smile as he looked down into her big brown eyes; his little girl could make him feel better no matter how crappy his day was starting. He stood and unbuckled the little harness that helped her stay sitting up in the chair, and picked her up, holding her over his head. She giggled and waved her little hands at him, her legs pumping excitedly up and down in the air.

"Be careful," Rachel warned. "She just finished her bottle."

"Aw, my Lainey's a lady. She'd never –" He sighed upon feeling the familiar splat of spit up landing on his shoulder, causing Andrew and Michael to twitter madly behind their hands.

He met Rachel's eyes, swearing if she said "I told you so," he was going to let her have it. She didn't fortunately; she just took the baby from him and put her back in her high chair.

"Damn it," he cursed, grabbing a napkin and rubbing the spit up off of his shirt. "My other gray shirt is at the cleaners."

"Finn, I picked the clothes up from the cleaners _three_ _days _ago. It's hanging up in our closet."

He nodded, feeling more than a little wounded and hurried back upstairs to change. He could only hope that things would be a little better at work.

* * *

_9:30 AM_

"Guys!" Samantha groaned from behind her desk. "If we want to maintain viewership we _have_ to get the people that no one else can get on the show."

"Well, I'm sorry Sam, but the Queen just doesn't make routine stops at daytime talk shows," Brent argued.

Finn zoned out and tapped his pen against the clipboard he was supposed to be making notes on. Idly, he wondered what he should eat for lunch. He was meeting Jer at their favorite restaurant downtown. Would a steak be too filling for lunch? It's not like he got to eat it on a regular basis… oh! And they had awesome grilled salmon. Maybe he'd do that.

"Hello! Earth to Finn!" Sam called, snapping him out of his stupor. He looked around to see Sam, Brent, and a few of the writers staring at him expectantly.

"I'm sorry, what'd you say?"

"I asked where we were with Claudio Russo."

"Oh, uh…" he flipped through the pages on his clipboard. "We've got him booked for next month, meaning we've got to haul butt on that kitchen set."

Sam clapped her hands in excitement. "Excellent!"

"How's that coming along?" Brent asked.

"It's alright, except Russo is insisting that he only works with gas appliances and not electric, which kind of causes a problem. Since it's a moving set, it's more practical for us to just keep it electric, but I've got the tech guys working on it to see if they can't rig it up with propane or something."

"Plus we've got to make sure it's up to code," Brent added. "It'd be bad if we blew up the audience."

He nodded and made a note in the margin. "Already on it."

The meeting finished up quickly after that and Finn dragged himself out of the office, mentally preparing himself for the show ahead of them. He turned and looked as Brent walked up beside him and ushered him into his office.

"What's up, Hudson?" he asked. "You doing alright?"

Finn looked around in confusion and shrugged. "Sure, I'm doing fine. Why?"

"You've just been kind of out of it lately. Is the baby sleeping through the night yet?"

"Um… yeah, most nights. Oh God, why? Am I really that bad?"

"Not _that_ bad," Brent amended. "Believe me; I know where you're coming from. I was a mess for the first few months after my kids were born. I can only imagine how hard it is for you with a new baby, a new wife, and two new sons. That's got to be tough."

He smiled but he knew his boss could tell it was completely forced. "Ah, I'm surviving."

Brent nodded. "Well, drink some coffee or take some herbal supplements or something and get back in the game. Your work's not suffering, but you've got to stay on it." Brent clapped him on the shoulder and winked broadly at him. "We'd hate to lose you."

Finn chuckled and hurried back to his own office. Suddenly he felt like he couldn't breathe and he loosened his tie. His gaze fell on a picture of Rachel on their wedding day, smiling happily up at him, and suddenly all he wanted to do was hear her voice.

He picked up the phone and listened as it rang and rang; mentally berating himself because he knew she was probably giving a lesson right then. He _knew_ that, she always told him when she was going to work with students. No wonder she was so frustrated with him. He was the world's lousiest husband.

Finally her voicemail picked up. "Hey Rach," he said, clicking a pen in his free hand. "I was just calling to… talk, I guess. I just wanted to…" He sighed. "I just needed to tell you that I love you. I think I forgot to tell you that this morning. So, um, I love you… and I'll talk to you later. Give Lainey a kiss for me. I love you… again. 'kay, bye."

He hung up the phone and let his head hit the desk.

* * *

_12:30 PM_

Without much energy, Finn trudged into the restaurant and looked around for Jer. He had been feeling weighed down since that morning, and the day showed no signs of turning around. Even the weather seemed to be conspiring against him; it had been eerily dark as he hailed a cab to come downtown, and it was now raining cats and dogs.

He saw Jer already seated at one end of the restaurant and made his way over to him, bumping into a waiter in the process.

Jer looked up from his menu when Finn plopped down across from him. "Hey man. How's it going?"

"Could be better, could be worse."

"Tell me about it," his friend agreed. "I went ahead and ordered you an iced tea, that cool?"

Finn sighed. "Yeah, that's fine."

"You doing alright?"

He shrugged. "Shit at work, shit at home. You know how it goes."

"You better watch it," Jer chuckled, "you're starting to sound like an old married man."

"That's because I'm starting to feel like one."

"Aw, come on. You've only been married, what? Nine months? It can't be that bad."

"It's not," Finn muttered, toying with the corner of his napkin. "I just thought it would be different, you know?"

"Well, it usually is," Jer admitted. "Most newlyweds don't have to worry about a baby and two little boys."

Finn smiled somberly. "That's true. So, how's Kurt?"

"Oh, you know… he's back on the baby kick," Jer continued, "which is totally stressing us both out. So I told him to start planning a wedding and we could start looking for surrogates."

"No kidding?"

"Yeah. I think we're going to do the 'Rachel Berry method' of conceiving and just do it in an ol' turkey baster and –"

"Ugh," Finn said with an exaggerated wince. "Can we not talk about what you plan on doing with a turkey baster right before we're about to eat? In fact, let's make that a new rule: no insemination talk, like, ever."

"Agreed." Suddenly the phone on Jer's belt clip started vibrating and he looked down to see who it was. "Speak of the devil," he muttered.

"Go ahead and take it, I'll wait."

"Thanks man," Jer said gratefully before answering the phone. "Hey babe!"

Finn sighed and, figuring he was going to be left to his own devices for a few minutes, dug his own cell phone out of his jacket pocket. He saw he had a voicemail and quickly called his mailbox.

"Hey, Finn," Rachel's voice rang clearly over the line. She didn't sound upset or anything, and just the sound of her voice made him feel a lot better. "I'm sorry I didn't answer earlier, I was finishing up with a student. I just wanted you to know that Lainey and I are going shopping for a little while before the boys come home, but I'll listen for the phone in case you call again. I'm sorry I was such a terror this morning, maybe I can make it up to you tonight. How does spaghetti sound? I know it's one of your favorites."

The line grew quiet and Finn thought message had been cut off, but then he heard her voice again, soft and low. "I can't wait to see you when you get home… I love you so, _so _much. Bye, sweetie."

Finn saved the message and placed the phone back in his pocket. He must have been smiling, because when Jer hung up, he looked knowingly at Finn and cocked an eyebrow. "So are things looking up?" he asked.

Finn grinned. "Yeah, they really are."

* * *

_2:30 PM_

Finn gulped and looked down at his phone. Okay, he was making this out to be more difficult than it needed to be. At lunch, Jer mentioned that the show Kurt was working on was being directed by this über creative, but reclusive director, named Victor Malick. Apparently he was a total oddball who only came out of hiding every ten years or so to direct these groundbreaking plays; then he just went back to where he came from. He never did interviews, though many had tried, but then Jer dropped a bomb: Victor Malick had a thing for daytime talk shows. He would actually stop rehearsals so he could watch them.

Since they were getting along pretty well, he had gotten Victor Malick's number from Kurt, so all he had to do was pick up the receiver and dial. He stared at the phone some more. He just had to pick it up and dial…

Finally, after another five minutes of procrastination, he did it. He sat back in his chair, his leg bouncing nervously as the phone rang. It seemed to go on forever and he was about to hang up when someone finally answered.

"Hello?" a sharp voice snapped.

"Um…" Finn choked, caught off guard by the not-too-friendly sounding voice on the line. "I-is this Victor Malick?"

"Yes."

"Mr. Malick, this is Finn Hudson. Um, I believe your working with my stepbrother, Kurt Hummel."

"My costume designer," Victor confirmed. "Weird kid, but I like him."

Finn paused. "Weird" was just hitting the tip of the iceberg, but he let it slide and continued. "Well, sir, Kurt mentioned that you have a thing for _Sam in the City_."

"Good show," he grunted. "I like that host, not too annoying like the _other_ ones. Very New York."

"Yes sir," Finn agreed, not bothering to tell him that she was really from Michigan. "Well, I'm calling because I actually work for the show, and –"

"You want an interview," he said pointedly; a statement, not a question.

"Yes… well, sir, I know you don't do interviews very often, but if you're ever interested in meeting Sam or coming up to the studio, I just wanted you to know that you're more than welcome anytime."

Victor was quiet on the line for a minute. "_Fine_, I'll do it. But just this once."

Finn cleared his throat. No wonder this guy stayed holed up for a decade at a time; he had no people skills _at all._ "Um… excuse me?"

"How about you have your people get in touch with me and we'll see what we can work out."

"Seriously?" Finn gasped. "You mean you'll do an interview?"

"That's what I said, didn't I?"

"Great! That's great! I'll have scheduling contact you as soon as possible."

"Are we done now?" Victor grunted. "I'm missing my stories."

"Yes, that's all. Thank you s–" he started to say, but the dude hung up before he could finish. He was still staring at the phone in a daze, not quite believing that he had done something _right_, when one of the tech guys poked his head into Finn's office.

"Sup, boss!"

Finn blinked blankly at him for a moment as he tried to gather his thoughts. "Oh, hey Freddy. How's it going?"

"Oh, it's going! You'll never believe what we just did," Freddy announced, a big grin on his face.

"Nothing illegal, I hope," Finn joked weakly.

"Nah, even better! We've made _fire_."

"Please tell me that means you've got the propane working and not that you've burned a hole in the middle of that kitchen set."

"No worries. We've got a fully functional gas kitchen, boss!"

Finn heaved a sigh of relief. For the first time that day, things were going his way _and_ they were running a month ahead of schedule. "Good job, Freddy. I owe you one."

Finn stood and followed Freddy out into the hallway, clapping him on the back as they parted ways outside of Sam's office.

He popped his head in and spotted her at her desk. "You got a minute, Sam?"

"Hey, Finn, what's up?" she asked, looking up from her computer.

"Have you ever heard of Victor Malick?"

"Of course! He's an incredibly progressive director. His last four shows have won Tony's, and he's a notorious recluse. Why?"

"What you do if I told you that I just got off the phone with him and he's willing to do an interview?"

Her jaw dropped. "Well, if you weren't married I'd kiss you. But since you are, I'd say… a fancy dinner for you and your wife on me?"

He leaned against the door jam and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "That sounds good. Remember though, she's a vegan!"

Sam's screeches of excitement followed him all the way back to his office.

* * *

_6:15 PM_

Whistling happily, Finn hurried up the stairs and let himself into the house. His day had made a complete about face after lunch, and he could only hope that it would continue on that way.

He threw his briefcase down onto the sofa and, loosening his tie, he walked over to the kitchen. Rachel was leaning over the stove, stirring something in a saucepan while Lainey looked on from her swing.

"Hey, sweetie," Rachel said, smiling over at him when she heard him enter.

"Look what I've got." He held up a plastic bag containing a carton of eggs.

She rolled her eyes. "I knew you were going to do that. Good thing I didn't pick any up already, hm?"

He chuckled and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I missed you today," he murmured, then he leaned down to nuzzle her neck and plant light kisses just behind her ear. That always drove her wild.

Sure enough, she squirmed away with a giggle and turned to face him. "What's gotten into you?"

"I'm a newlywed, that's what's gotten into me," he growled, capturing her lips with his. He kissed her just long enough to give her a good preview of what was in store for her later on that evening, and pulled away with a sly smile on his face.

She looked up at him, her lips slightly parted as she gasped for air, her cheeks pink. "So, what are you making?" He looked past her to the stove, and it took her a moment to find her voice.

"Oh, um… I'm working on my spaghetti sauce. I thought I would see how it tasted with some fresh herbs and spices. Here," she said and held a spoon out to him, a hand cupped underneath so that the sauce wouldn't drip on the floor. "What do you think?"

He took a small taste and smacked his lips approvingly. "It's good," he said with a nod. "Real good."

She gave a satisfied smile and turned back to the stove. "That's what I thought," she said primly.

Finn planted one last kiss on the back of her head before turning to his waiting daughter. Tank was curled up beside her, keeping guard as usual, and growled low in his throat as Finn stopped the swing. "Hush," he commanded, and the dog quickly complied.

"Hey, baby girl," he said, turning his attention back to Lainey. He cuddled her in his arms, reveling in the sweet smell of baby powder on her as he peppered her little face with kisses. She laughed happily and placed a hand on his face as if trying to convey that she had missed him too.

"What did you two girls do today?" he asked, bouncing her lightly in his arms.

"Oh, you know," Rachel answered, "we had a few lessons this morning, then we went and spent your money."

"Oh?"

"I wanted to pick up a few outfits for Lainey."

He looked down at Lainey in her yellow dress and white, frilly socks. "You mean she doesn't have enough clothes?"

"It's already fall, so I needed to pick her up some outfits for cooler weather. And she's growing like a weed. She already doesn't fit into half the things she has now." Finn sighed; Rachel was right of course. Lainey was already so much bigger than she was a few weeks ago and he wished freeze time and keep her this small forever. Pretty soon she would be on her way to her first day of school, then high school prom and graduation, college, and then she'd probably meet a guy… He frowned at the thought.

"I bought her the cutest little striped tights," Rachel continued, oblivious to his thought process, "and matching sweaters. You should see the new dress I bought her! She'll be the best dressed baby at temple. I'll have to play dress up for you later on so you can see how adorable she is."

"You could dress her in denim and flannel and she'd still be the most beautiful baby in the world." He tickled her belly, causing her to squeal in excitement and wave her hands at him.

"Of course you would say that."

"Because it's true!" He looked up from the baby and furrowed his brow, realizing it was too quiet in the house. "Hey, Rach, where are the boys?"

"Out back. Dinner will be done soon if you want to call them in and check their homework."

He nodded and walked through to the dining room, where he could see Andrew and Michael beating each other happily with a couple of Nerf bats in the small garden. "Hey guys, what you are up to?"

"Hey, Dad!" Andrew called, running up to him.

Michael smiled up at him. "Hey, Finn. Lainey's chewing on your tie."

He looked down and sure enough, she was quietly soaking the end of his tie in slobber. "Oh well," he muttered. The damage had been done, so he saw no point in upsetting her by pulling it away.

"How was school?"

"Good," they answered.

"Did you do your homework?"

"Yup!" Andrew announced, hopping up and down.

"Well, how about we go over it before dinner?"

"Mine's math," Michael replied.

"Well, that's the cool thing about being a grown up," Finn said. "We're allowed to use calculators."

* * *

_9:30 PM_

"Big shake on the box car moving," Rachel sang quietly as she leaned back in their large claw foot tub. Finn grinned around his toothbrush and watched through the mirror as she tilted her head back and closed her eyes, humming the rest of the song idly.

"Hmm," she sighed after a moment. "This is nice. Are you sure you don't want to join me?"

He leaned over the sink and spit out a mouthful of toothpaste. He then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, causing Rachel to tsk at him from the tub, but he only smiled and knelt down to place a minty fresh kiss on her lips. "Give me a few minutes," he murmured. "I need to go make sure everybody's in bed."

She smiled sleepily up at him with a heavy-lidded gaze. "Okay. Just don't take too long."

This was their evening ritual; they got the kids ready for bed, got ready for bed themselves, and then he would make one last round to make sure everyone was actually sleeping. First stop was always Lainey's room on the third floor, and he crept in quietly so as not to wake her.

Tank was already in the room, and his head perked up as soon as Finn entered. He stood, his tail wagging, and placed his front paws on the edge of the crib to peer down at the baby.

"Keeping guard over the baby, huh? Good boy." He scratched Tank's ears in reward before forcing him back down, and looked down to check on Lainey himself. She was sleeping soundly with her hands tucked under her chin, her mouth puckered in a little O. He felt his lips twitch in a small grin as he looked down on her, an overwhelming feeling of fatherly pride washing over him. He reached down and stroked a plumb cheek before leaning over to kiss her lightly.

"Night, baby girl," he murmured. "Daddy loves you."

Tank followed him downstairs, and he found Andrew was sprawled out across his bed, asleep with his table lamp on as usual. Gently, Finn made sure all of the little boys limbs were on the bed and pulled the blankets up to his chin. Sometime during the process, Tank leapt up with him and spun around a few times before settling down with his head on Andrew's stomach.

"You going to stay down here then?" Finn asked, his hand on the switch to the lamp, and Tank's tail thumped against the wall twice in affirmation. "Fine with me, more room in the bed that way."

He turned out the light and crossed through the bathroom that connected his room to Michael's. Michael was sitting in the middle of his bed above the sheets, a book in his lap.

"Hey bud, time for bed," he said, stepping into the room.

Michael looked up at him and nodded. "Okay, I just wanted to finish this chapter."

"What are you reading?"

He held up the book for Finn to see. "_The Mouse and the Motorcycle_," he said. "It's for a book report."

Finn froze. "When's it due?"

"Not for a few weeks. It just got assigned out today."

"Oh, good. You freaked me out for a minute there." He took a seat on the edge of the bed and took the book from Michael. "You know, my mom read me this book when I was little. Ralph the Mouse."

He flipped through the pages with a small smile on his face, noting Michael was already a good five chapters in already. "This just got assigned today?"

"Yup."

"And you're already this far in?" Michael nodded. "Wow, Mike. You're one smart kid. I probably never would have finished it."

Michael beamed at the compliment, making Finn feel ten times bigger than he already did. Then Michael looked up at him seriously. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure!"

"Well, today at recess, me and the guys were playing soccer." He looked down and plucked at his comforter. "They said I was pretty good and that I should try out for their team in the spring. Do you think that's okay?"

"Of course it's okay," Finn said. "I mean, we'll have to talk to your mom, but I don't see why not. Maybe this weekend we can get you a soccer ball and we can kick it around at the park. Does that sound like fun?"

Michael nodded enthusiastically, causing Finn to grin. "Alright then, time for bed now."

"Okay," Michael groaned, crawling back under the covers. Finn pulled them up around his shoulders and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Night, bud. Love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Finn clicked off his lamp and was halfway out the door when he realized what Michael had just said. He wasn't entirely sure if his ears hadn't been playing tricks on him, and he turned around to look at him. Michael just gave him a small smile and turned onto his side.

He stood in the doorway for a few moments, an embarrassing lump growing in his throat, before shutting the door softly behind him and heading back upstairs. He entered the master bedroom, lost in thought, and took a seat on his side of the bed.

Michael had called him dad. He swallowed convulsively and looked down at his hands. After nine long months, Michael had called him _dad_.

"Finn?" Rachel called from the bathroom.

"Yeah," he answered, his voice hoarse.

"You took too long, so I finished up without you," she said. "But that's okay." He heard her move closer to the door. "I may have forgotten to mention that I picked a little something up for you too."

He looked over to see her standing in the doorway in a brand new chemise. It wasn't like a teddy or anything, but was sexy in a way that only Rachel could make it.

"What do you think?" she asked, her voice low and sultry.

He cleared his throat a few times before he could respond. "You're beautiful, Rachel," he murmured sincerely.

She must have sensed his solemn mood and her face fell as she pushed away from the door jam. She crawled into the bed and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he whispered, deciding that he would keep what had just transpired to himself for a little while. He didn't know what he had been expecting when he married Rachel, something a little different than this, certainly, but it dawned on him that this life was so much better than the one he had pictured for himself. It wasn't perfect in the least, but it was him and Rachel, it was their family, and he couldn't ask for more.

He turned in her arms then, and pushed her down onto the bed, his mouth burning a trail up her neck before lingering at her lips.

"I've never been better."

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Aw, fluff!  
_

_I'm not sure how soon the next Cavatina will be out; I have a few prompts lined up, but I don't know which one I want to do next. Hopefully it won't be too long, though!_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes._


	3. The History of Finn and Jer, Part One

**Cavatina III**

**The Short, Uncomplicated History of Finn Hudson and Jeremy Hebert, Part One**

_Ohio University, October 2012_

Running an anxious hand through his hair, Finn looked blankly down at the textbook in front of him. He'd been attempting to study for the past hour, but everything was starting to blur together in a jumble of words and numbers that left him feeling confused, frustrated, and just plain stupid. He didn't get it, how could it be so easy for him to memorize plays out his playbook when college-level algebra made him feel like curling up into a fetal position and crying his eyes out? At this rate, there was no possible way for him to get the A on his midterm that he so desperately needed in order to pull off a B for the semester. And if he didn't make at least a B, his entire plan was bust.

In all honesty, Finn had expected that he would get through college the same way he got through high school: by the seam of his pants. But Rachel Berry changed all of that. His entire way of thinking had changed since being with her, and being just so-so was no longer acceptable. It would be one thing if he was going to a larger university, like Ohio State, where he could be picked up by the NFL, but he was well aware that while he was a good quarterback, he was no Peyton Manning. That meant he was actually going to have to knuckle down and pick a major that would get him somewhere in life.

So, he had signed up for the usual entry level college courses like Health (which was a total blow off), Composition, Algebra, and one wild card, Communications. He was actually enjoying the latter more than he thought he would; it was a pretty broad course on news writing and production, and while his writing still needed a little work, he was really picking up the technical stuff. One day, after class, he cornered the TA who was handling the course to get some information on the Communications program.

"Is it a good school?" the guy had scoffed incredulously. "The E. W. Scripps School of Journalism is among the best in the nation. You have to have top scores just to be considered for admission; they're very selective. Were you in at least the top 15% of your high school graduating class? I was in the top five percent, myself."

Finn's face fell. "Um… no. I kind of got in on a football scholarship."

The TA shook his head. "I hate to break it to you, but your chances of getting in are pretty slim."

"But I don't want to major to be a reporter or anything. I was thinking more behind the scenes type of stuff, like with the cameras n'stuff."

"Oh, well then you're thinking of something like the School of Media Arts and Studies. You could transfer in, but it's not going to be easy."

"What do you think it'll take?"

The guy shrugged. "A bunch of ass kissing and three point five GPA, _at least_."

Finn mulled it over in his head for a minute. "A three point five? That's, like, two As and two Bs, right? I can do that."

"It'll be worth it," the TA said. "I mean, you're doing really well in this class so far, so you're a quarter of the way there already. And, think of it, if you graduate from any school in the Scripps College of Communications, you're pretty much guaranteed an entry level job in any one of the major markets. I'm talking LA, Chicago, New York –"

"_New York_?" Finn asked. From there he was sold; this was his opportunity to get to New York and make a success of himself, to be somebody _worth_ Rachel's time and love.

He was doing okay so far, except for the stupid algebra class. He was getting through Composition with the help of the university's writing center, but he didn't know of any math tutoring unless you paid for it. And he didn't have any money for tutoring.

He groaned inwardly, began tapping his pencil anxiously against his notebook, and stared down at the problem in front of him:

_x³ + 3x² + 2x + 6_

Okay, so what was the greatest common factor again? Or was he looking for a polynomial? Oh God, he was so screwed! He began bouncing his leg so hard that the table began to shake.

"Hey!" someone whispered from down the table. "Hey, Hudson!"

He looked up to see wide receiver, Jeremy Hebert, looking at him from down the table with a look of concern on his face. Finn didn't know too much about the guy, just that he was also pledging for Beta Theta Pi, he had a steady pair of hands, and he was fast as hell. They were friendly enough to each other, but they didn't really hang out that much outside of practice.

Jeremy picked up his backpack and moved over to where Finn sat so that they wouldn't be yelling at each other across the library.

"What's up, man?" he asked. "You look a little manic."

"Oh, uh, factoring polynomials. Math isn't exactly my strong suit and I'm sitting on a C."

Jeremy shrugged. "So, you're passing, right? What's the big deal?"

"You don't understand," Finn insisted. "I _need_ a B. I _have_ to make a B. If I don't make a B, then I don't get the three point five average I need to get into the School of Media Arts and Studies, then I won't get a good job, and then I can't move to New York to be with my girlfriend."

"Okay…" he responded, looking at Finn like he was insane. "That makes sense, I guess."

Finn nodded solemnly, feeling like a total douche for unloading on a guy he barely knew. "I'm screwed," he mumbled, holding his head in his hands.

"Hey, it's no big deal. Do you want me to help you?"

Finn looked up at him blankly. "Huh?"

"Well, yeah. I'm a Finance major, math is kind of my thing."

"Seriously?" Finn asked.

"Sure, why not? Anything in the name of young love, right?"

Finn could have hugged him right at that moment, but he restrained himself and gave him an amicable fist bump instead. "Thanks, Jeremy!"

He shook his head vehemently. "Call me Jer."

* * *

_December 2012_

"Dude, I am so happy right now, I could kiss you!" Finn announced as he burst into Jer's dorm room without knocking.

Jer froze and looked up from his laptop. "What's that supposed to mean?" he asked quickly. "Is that some sort of gay joke?"

"Uh… no," Finn said, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I just got my grade back for my algebra final."

"Oh, is that it?" Jer asked, chuckling awkwardly. "How'd you do?"

"A B minus! You know what that means?"

"I should be a math teacher?"

Finn paused, caught off guard. "Yeah. I mean, if that's what you want to do."

Jer rolled his eyes, but there was a good-natured smile on his face. "You got the GPA you needed to transfer into the School of Communications?"

"Hell yeah, I did!" he laughed and punched the air triumphantly. "That means I can put this shit semester behind me and move on with my life."

"Hey, congratulations!" Jer said sincerely. "I knew you could do it. Now we just need to get you through the next three and half years."

Finn flopped backwards onto Jer's bed. "But it'll be a breeze since there's no football to worry about. I've just gotta get the rest of my prerequisites outta the way next semester and I'm good!"

He folded his hands back behind his head and smiled up at the ceiling. "Yup, next semester's gonna be awesome."

* * *

_January 2013_

_This semester is going to suck_, Finn thought to himself. After unpacking earlier that day, he had fallen onto his bed and had been laying there prone for the past several hours thinking about the awful turn his life had made. He was just dozing off when the door flew open.

"Sup my brotha from anotha motha!" Jer announced with a big smile as he entered their new room in the frat house.

"Hey," Finn said, his voice flat.

Jer threw him a confused look. "What's up with you, man? You have a good Christmas?"

"It was alright."

"You don't sound like it was alright. Everything okay at home? How's your Broadway girlfriend?"

Finn gulped loudly and drew in a shaky breath, which triggered a look of sheer alarm to mar Jer's face. "Oh God. You're not going to cry are you?"

"She broke up with me," he said brokenly. "Or we're taking a break or something. She said it was too hard to miss me all the time and it was turning her into someone she didn't want to be."

Jer sat down on the edge of his own bed and looked solemnly over at him. "I'm sorry to hear that, Finn. I know it must be tough for you. I mean, it's obvious you really loved her."

"_Love_ her," Finn corrected. "Not past tense. We're going to get past this."

Jer made a noncommittal sound in his throat, but didn't say anything. Finn knew what he was thinking, but fortunately he and Jer had become close enough over the past semester that Jer knew when to keep his mouth shut.

"Well, look at the bright side," Jer finally said, standing up to drag his suitcase across the room. "It gives you one less thing to worry about this semester. Take your time to train for next season and keep your grades up that way, when you get back together, you'll still be on the right track."

"Yeah." His voice still wasn't working correctly, but at least he wasn't sounding like a total wimp anymore.

"How 'bout we go grab something to eat and hang out for a little while?" Jer suggested. "Get your mind off of things. I can always unpack later."

Finn didn't really feel like going, but he allowed Jer to drag him out of the frat house and to an Athens local favorite, Larry's Dawghouse. They were sitting quietly, sipping their sodas and people watching, when Jer whistled lowly and pointed to a girl across the way. "How about the jugs on that one?" he asked theatrically, rolling his eyes like he couldn't believe what he was saying.

"They're alright, I guess." He leaned over, his chin in his hand, and blew a few bubbles in his drink.

"You didn't even look."

"I don't want to look."

Jer groaned and threw up his hands. "Okay, how long do you plan on moping around like this? I thought we were supposed to be having fun this semester, not just sit around while you pine for your girlfriend."

"Well, I'm sorry my broken heart is interfering with your social schedule. If you want to go talk to her, I'll wait here. It's not like I have anything to do."

"Don't be like that," his friend grumbled, falling back in his seat. "I'm just saying you can't stop functioning. You said it was just a break, right? If that's the case, just give it a few weeks and you and Monica –"

"Rachel."

"– will be getting back together."

Finn sighed. "I know, but I just can't help but worry, you know? I just have a bad feeling about this whole thing."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about it. What's meant to be will be, right?"

"I guess so."

Their waitress came by and dropped their food off with a coy smile at Jer, not that he seemed to notice. "Our waitress is totally checking you out," Finn commented when she left.

"Oh?"

"Yeah, I bet you could get her number."

"Nah, she's not my type," Jer said with a shrug, drowning his fries in ketchup.

"How about the other girl then? The one with the 'jugs'."

"Not my type either."

Finn would have laughed if he wasn't feeling like crap. Jer was a good looking guy, better looking than he was at least (not that he was checking him out), but he never seemed to pay the ladies the same attention that they did him. "Why don't you have a girlfriend, Jer?"

"What, so I can end up like you? No thank you!"

"Being like me isn't so bad."

Jer looked up at him incredulously. "You're saying being a whiney, little girl isn't a bad thing?"

"We just broke up, like, three weeks ago! Give me a break, okay?" He took a big bite of his chili dog before continuing, "Besides, my mom says it just means I have a big heart. There's nothing wrong with that."

"Hey guys!" They both looked up to see Jared, a Sports Medicine major who worked with the football team, approaching their table. Some of the other guys gave him a hard time because he was kind of little and flamboyant, but Finn didn't mind; Jared kind of reminded him of Kurt.

"Hey, Jared," Jer said, smiling up at him. "How was your break?"

"Oh, you know, I survived. How about yours?"

"Mine went alright. My oldest brother came into town and I got to meet my nephew for the first time, so that was pretty cool."

Jared cocked his head to the side and looked dreamily down at Jer. "I'm sure that was sweet."

Finn had to admit that Jer was a good sport about it, and didn't seem bothered by Jared's attentions at all. "Hudson's girlfriend broke up with him though, so we're out to keep him mind off of things."

"Thanks, Jer," he grumbled.

"What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Finn," Jared said sincerely. "Rest assured though, once you're ready to jump back into the arena, you'll have lots of available ladies throwing themselves at you."

"It's just a break," Finn insisted, and Jared got the same sympathetic look in his eye that Jer had when he had told him.

Jared smiled and nodded before excusing himself, leaving Jer and him to eat in silence. As Finn chowed down on his hot dog, he wondered what Rachel was doing in New York at that moment. He was pretty sure she wouldn't be sitting around and moping like he was. In fact, she was probably at an audition or practicing in her apartment. She knew what her goal was.

He stopped mid-chew and stared thoughtfully down at the chili smeared on his plate. That's what he needed to do! He needed to focus on a goal that wasn't about Rachel, but something that was focused on him. Something that would make him a well-rounded and better person.

"I know what I'm going to do!" he exclaimed, causing Jer to look up at him.

"Jump off a bridge?"

"No! _Goals_! It's all about goals. Like last semester, I set myself a goal, and I just _did_ it," he explained. "Now I'm going to set myself a bigger goal!"

"Why do I suddenly feel like I'm watching a Mexican soccer match?"

Finn ignored him and continued, excitement welling up within him. "So, you know what I'm going to do? This semester, I'm going to go for a four point oh. Hell, you know what? I'm graduating with honors!"

Jer nearly choked on his food at Finn's proclamation, but actually didn't have anything sarcastic to say. He just nodded and said, "I can't wait to see it."

* * *

_August 2013_

Jer smiled over at Finn as he entered the weight room. Even though they were sharing a room, they really hadn't had a chance to talk once football camp started. He couldn't help but notice that Finn was unusually quiet and sullen; not that the guy was that much of a joy to be around last semester, but at least he cracked a smile every now and then.

"So, man," he said, setting himself up at the leg press, "talk to me. What's up?"

Finn shook his head and sat down on the bench across from him. "Not much. Summer wasn't long enough to recover from last semester. "

Jer chuckled. That was true enough; he had never seen anyone hit the books harder than Finn had last semester. It was a struggle for him, but Finn had actually pulled off the straight A average that he was going for. Upon receiving his grades, he proclaimed that he wasn't going to push himself that hard again and would settle for the Dean's List, but Jer could tell that Finn was immensely proud of himself. He figured Finn just had to do it in order to prove it to himself that he _could_.

"That all?" Jer asked. "How'd it go in New York?"

He didn't miss the spasm of pain that flashed across Finn's face before it carefully went blank again.

"Didn't go."

"What? Why not? You were looking forward to it all semester."

Finn shrugged and picked up a couple of free weights. "She married someone else," he said simply.

Jer let his legs go slack and the weights crashed down loudly in the machine. "Damn, Finn. I didn't know. I'm so–"

"I don't want to talk about it," Finn muttered.

Jer watched him thoughtfully before resuming his exercises. "Okay."

The subject wasn't brought up again for a long, long time.

* * *

_**Disclaimer:**__ Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes._


	4. Growing Pains

**Cavatina IV**

**Growing Pains**

Jer was exhausted. He didn't think he had ever been so exhausted in his life. He didn't exactly work in a low-stress environment, and his home life wasn't much better. Not only was his soon-to-be husband freaking out about their upcoming wedding, but they had a brand new baby to worry about as well. A beautiful, brand new baby girl that _didn't sleep_.

He hadn't gotten any rest in the past three weeks. If the baby was sleeping, then Kurt was riding his ass about the wedding; if Kurt wasn't going on about the wedding, then Vivien was screaming, which was why he had been standing outside their apartment door for the past five minutes, dreading going inside.

He gave himself one more minute to prepare himself before entering quietly. He stepped into the apartment and crept inside. Their living room, usually neat and tidy, looked like a Babies-R-Us had exploded, but other than that, everything was silent and still.

He set down his briefcase and loosened his tie, warily looking around. "Hello?" he called softly as not to wake the sleeping baby that he assumed was somewhere in the apartment. "I'm home."

"Don't you dare wake her up," Kurt hissed, sitting up from the sofa, his hair sticking up every which way. "I just got her to sleep."

"Did she give you a hard time today?"

Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't sound so condescending, Jeremy. At least you get to get away during the day."

Jer groaned. "How am I being condescending? What did I say?"

"I heard it in your tone."

He took in slow, deep breath to calm his already frazzled nerves before replying. "Can we please not start this?"

Jer could tell this just pissed Kurt off even more, but for once, he held his tongue. He stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, the silence weighing down on him as Kurt glared up at him.

"I'm going to go change," he muttered.

"_Don't_ wake up, Vivien."

He tiptoed into their bedroom and spared a quick glance down at Vivien in her bassinet. When they decided to conceive, they had agreed to keep it a mystery as to which one of them was her biological father, but as he looked down at the baby, there was no question in his mind that she was Kurt's kid. It definitely explained the screaming. Not that he didn't love her; he totally did, even if it meant she was going to inherit some of Kurt's crazy.

He gave her a quick, light kiss on the cheek before changing quietly. When he walked back into the living room, Kurt was gathering up toys, bottles, and other infant paraphernalia while Pablo humped a giggling Tickle Me Elmo in the corner.

"When are Carole and Burt coming in?" he asked, plopping down on the sofa.

Kurt sighed as he folded a small pink blanket. "Not until 8:30. Finn's going to pick them up and then we'll have a late dinner here."

Joy, Jer couldn't help but think bitterly. Finn Hudson, father extraordinaire. Seriously, when he met the guy, Finn could barely simplify a fraction and now he was balancing a good job, a wife (the female version of Kurt, no less), and three kids, all while making it look _easy_. "Are they staying here or there?"

"With Finn and Rachel. There's more room there and there's no use in all of us being sleep deprived this weekend."

He scratched his chin and nodded. "You'd think they'd want to stay here. I mean, Carole stayed a few weeks with Rachel when Elaine was born."

"As much as I love her, Carole is not my mother. Maybe if _your _mother had offered –"

"Don't be like that," Jer groaned. "You know my father makes it difficult for her when she wants to visit."

"Jer, neither one of your parents have come to see Vivien, and she's their _granddaughter_," Kurt argued.

Jer winced. He hated this argument; it was one they had had since moving to New York together. His parents, more specifically his father, were never going to be accepting of his lifestyle, no matter how many times he and Kurt reached out to them.

"Baby, I'm sorry, but my dad is not like Burt. I'll be lucky if he ever even _speaks_ to me again."

Kurt opened his mouth to protest, but he was cut off by a soft knock on the front door. Jer gave him one last pleading look before going to see who it was. He opened the door to see Finn with Elaine perched on his shoulders. "Hi, Uncle Jer!" she squealed.

Finn shushed her and set her down on the ground. "Quiet, Lainey, you don't want to wake up the baby," he explained softly, and she giggled quietly behind her hand. He straightened up to his full height and looked sympathetically over at him.

"Hey, Jer, how you holding up?"

"Like a game of Jenga," he grumbled, leading them into the living room.

"Oh, hey," Kurt said, looking up from his folding. "What are you two doing?"

"Just thought we would stop by before we went to go pick up Mom and Burt from the airport."

"I've got a present for the baby!" Elaine announced, holding up a little, pink bunny.

"Aw, thanks, sweetie," Kurt said, smiling kindly at her. "I'll give it to her as soon as she wakes up."

"Wow, Kurt," Finn said, plopping down on the couch. "You remember when we did _The_ _Rocky Horror Show _and you played that guy…?"

"Riff Raff."

"Yeah, him."

"What about it?"

"You look just like him, right now. You don't even need make up or anything. It's weird."

Jer choked back a laugh, coughing profusely in the process, which earned him an icy glare from Kurt. "Better go get a drink," he gasped.

He was opening bottled water when a plaintive cry rang out from the bedroom. "Wonderful," he heard Kurt sigh.

"I'll get her," Jer offered, walking into the bedroom where Vivien's cries were getting louder and louder. By the time he reached her, her little face was beet red and her arms and legs were moving and kicking in frustration.

"What is it, Viv?" he asked, not seeing anything physically wrong with her. He checked her diaper and her outfit to make sure nothing was pinching her (he'd learned from experience, always watch when doing up the snaps on her onesies; he'd accidentally got her the third day she was home, and both she and Kurt let him have it for three hours). He detached the bassinet from its base in frustration and carried it and his screaming daughter into the living room.

"I can't figure out what's wrong with her," he told Kurt. "Does she need a bottle?"

"No, I _just_ gave her one. God, Jer, can't you–"

"Well, Kurt, I'm sorry, but she's throwing a shit fit and I can't figure out why! I'm a stockbroker not a baby whisperer."

"Here's her bunny," Elaine said, placing the toy in the bassinet with the baby. "Gotta be gentle like with Tank."

"That's right, Lainey," Finn praised over the noise Vivien was making. He winced and looked down into the cradle. "Uh, guys…"

"Every time –" Kurt began.

"Here it goes!" Jer said, throwing his hands up in the air.

"_Every_ time," Kurt reiterated, "the baby starts to cry, you act like I should be the one who knows what's wrong with her."

"You spend all day with her! Haven't your maternal instincts kicked in or something?"

"Guys…" Finn said again.

"You have to have a _vagina_ to have maternal instincts, Jeremy!"

"You mean you don't have one of those hidden around in there somewhere?" Jer snapped, motioning to Kurt's pants. "Maybe you accidentally exfoliated it off."

"Seriously, guys…"

"Oh, please! Like you would even know what to do with a good exfoliate!"

"Maybe not," Jer said, raising his eyebrows as Vivien's cries got even louder. He knew he was treading in dangerous water, but he continued on carelessly, fueled on by an equal mix of exhaustion and frustration. "But I'm still a better gay than you."

"What the _hell _is that supposed to mean?"

"You have, like, the worse gaydar in history. Seriously. You thought _Finn_ was gay." He motioned to Finn, who opened his mouth to speak before getting cut off by Kurt again.

"Oh _puh_-lease! Give you one too many Heinekens, and you'd totally go home with the butch waitress from the bar!"

"Actually, she's not my type. I like them high maintenance and bi–"

"Hey guys!" Finn finally bellowed over the din. Kurt and Jer stopped and looked at him in shock, and even Vivien shushed for a moment. "She wants her pacifier."

"What?" Jer and Kurt asked in unison.

"Well, she's doing that mouth thing that Lainey used to do, so if she's not hungry, she wants her pacifier. It's just logic."

Jer and Kurt looked down at their daughter blankly as Finn plopped her pacifier back in her mouth. Sure enough, she grew quiet immediately.

"Also, you two really need to work on your filters before Vivien gets any older because that was a really inappropriate conversation you just had in front of my three year old."

"Sorry," Jer mumbled.

"Yeah, well, you're not going to have to explain to Rachel why Lainey's asking what a gaydar is. Sure, she's not saying anything now, but she's soaking it all in like a _sponge_, and I can guarantee you that she's not going to do it anyplace private. She'll probably ask while they're in the middle of synagogue or something. So thanks." He looked down at Lainey, who smiled up at them innocently and nodded her head in agreement.

"On that note, we're leaving. Take care of the baby and try not to kill each other." At that, he lifted his daughter up, turned on his heel, and walked out the door.

"Well, _that_ was humiliating," Kurt muttered, sitting down on the sofa to peer down on the now-content baby.

Jer plopped down beside him and sighed deeply. "No kidding."

They sat in silence for a few minutes while Vivien nodded off to the soothing sounds of Elmo being violated from elsewhere in the apartment.

"What's wrong with us?" Kurt finally asked.

"Huh?" Jer gasped, the question catching him off guard. "There's nothing wrong with _us_. We're just… _adjusting_."

Kurt looked over at him sadly. "You think I don't realize that it takes you five minutes to walk in the door, Jer? Or that you rush out the door every morning?"

"Babe, it's just hectic at work. I'm just stressed is all and –"

"You can't even look me in the eye, right now, can you?"

Jer's gaze snapped to his partner's and he shook his head vehemently. "No… it's just that… I don't know!"

"Is it me?"

"No."

"The baby?"

"_No_."

"The wedding?"

"Damn it, Kurt! What's up with the twenty questions all of a sudden? We're stressed, that's all! It's normal to freak out a bit when there's a new baby in the house."

"Finn and Rachel didn't."

"Finn and Rachel are freaks of nature," Jer snapped. "And just because Finn didn't say anything to you didn't mean that he didn't go through the same stuff we're going through. I saw him a few times when he was a complete mess."

Kurt shook his head, his face drawn. "It's not just about that, Jeremy. It's just that…" he trailed off with a sigh and looked down at his hands. Jer looked over at him in shock; he'd never seen Kurt at a loss for words.

"Maybe we're not cut out for this," he finally said. "Maybe it's too much too fast. I mean, if we can't even handle a tiny baby, what makes us think we're cut out for the long term?"

"Hey, hey, hey," Jer said calmly, despite the unease that gripped his heart. He pulled Kurt into his arms and hugged him tightly. "Me and you, we're tougher than this. We've had a smooth run for the most part, and these are our bumps, but we'll get past this. I mean, it's only been three weeks."

"But what makes you so sure, Jer?"

Jer shrugged. "I'm not. But I know that I love you, and I love Viv, and I know my life would be infinitely worse without the two of you."

He felt Kurt relax in his arms and snuggle into his chest. "You're right," Kurt murmured. "This too shall pass."

"What doesn't kill us makes us stronger," he agreed.

"We're the best around; no one's going to keep us down."

"It's the eye of the tiger; it's the thrill of the fight," he retorted, causing Kurt to laugh.

"If Finn and Rachel can do it…"

Jer chuckled. "That's the best one yet."

* * *

_Three months later_

Jer turned from the conversation that his mother, who had defied his father's edict that none of the Heberts were to attend his wedding, was having with Kurt upon hearing a light clicking noise from the dance floor.

"Hi, everybody," Finn said awkwardly, a mic in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other. "In case you didn't get the detailed itinerary that Kurt sent out before the ceremony, it's, um, time for me to make my best man's speech."

He paused with a smile on his face as everyone chuckled and settled down before he continued. "A lot of us thought that Kurt would wear you down long before today, Jer. I bet you were kind of surprised you lasted this long, too." Jer couldn't help the smile that broke out on his face despite Kurt's harrumph of distaste. "And I know the road was long and hard, but you made it. You made it to the day that Kurt's been dreaming of since he was a little girl. And you have a wonderful family and great friends here to celebrate it with you. I've always considered you both as full brothers, and now it's official. I'm happy and proud to be in both of your lives.

"Kurt, I'm very glad you got the guy that all the girls dream about, and Jer, I'm glad you didn't freak out and run away. I wish you both _and_ Vivien the best. You deserve all of the love and happiness that I know you will share. Mozeltov."

Jer chuckled as he and Finn made eye contact and gave his friend thumbs up. It was a good speech, even though he was pretty sure that Rachel had helped write it. He turned to Kurt, who was leaning over and whispering something in Elaine's ear, and she nodded and hurried over to where Finn was standing.

"Flower girl speech!" Jer heard her cry and Finn smiled, handing her the mic.

"Dear Uncle Kurt and Uncle Jer," she said amidst the sounds of an adoring audience. "Congratulations and happy wedding. Love, Elaine Paige Hudson." As everyone clapped, she turned back to Finn, her little face serious.

"Daddy," she asked, "what's a gaydar?"

The look on Finn's face was priceless.

* * *

_**Reviewers: **__falafel90 – coffeevixen84 – MaraMac – noro – egyouppt – tjcrowfoot – ariadne7 – SkyGleek – Politics and Prose - beccaj-ilh_

_**Author's Note: **__I'm actually kind of hesitant about posting this shortie because there's been a lot of Kurt on the show lately (which I don't really mind, I just miss the days when Rachel was a main character), and I didn't want to burn anyone out. I started this one a while ago and I want to get it out of the way to make room for more Hudson family Cavatinas. The next one is actually almost done, so I'll be completing it before I start on DOY Chapter Two. Hope you enjoy!_

_Special thanks to Politics and Prose for helping me write Finn's best man speech, and to my twinnie, Amy Rochelle, who doesn't know my pen name._

_**Disclaimer:**__ Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes._


	5. God Save the Queen

**Cavatina V**

**God Save the Queen**

"You know what would be fun?" Elaine asked cheerfully, looking up from her breakfast. Her mother, father, and younger brother all turned their heads in her direction.

"What's that, sweetie?" Rachel asked, a small smile playing at her lips.

Elaine placed her utensils down and clasped her hands in front of her. "Well, I was thinking that this family could use a little culture."

Finn cast a furtive glance in his wife's direction before answering, "Oh? And how do you recommend we do that?"

"For starters, we could start by serving a more diverse menu here at home. I mean, I'm as fond of our traditional vegan meals as the next person, but there's a whole wide world out there. I suggest we try a meal from another country at least once a week. Perhaps we could start with things like fish and chips, or Sunday roast, or kippers!"

Christopher wrinkled his nose. "That stuff sounds gross," he commented.

"First of all," Finn said, raising an eyebrow, "none of that stuff is vegan. Unless, of course, you've decided to start 'feasting on the carcasses of dead animals.'" Rachel threw Finn a dirty look but didn't say anything. "Secondly, all that stuff is British. Lastly, you're not going to London."

"Who said anything about, London, Daddy? I was talking about _culture_."

He didn't say anything, just stared at her until she started squirming in her chair. "Okay, _fine_," she finally said. "As you know, the deadline for me to verify my spot in the program is next week. So I was thinking that it was time for us to sit down and have a real adult conversation about –"

"No."

"But –"

"No."

"Daddy –"

"I said _no_, Elaine," he replied, enunciating every word.

She looked over to Rachel in exasperation. "Mama!"

"Finn, she's right," Rachel said. "You've been avoiding this conversation for the better part of year. Don't you think it's time to give our daughter the benefit of the doubt and listen to her reasons for wanting to go?"

"Rachel," Finn sighed, throwing his napkin to the side, "the reason I've been avoiding this conversation for the better part of a year is because I've already made my decision. I already know and understand her reasons, but I'm sorry. My answer is still no. Now, if you two don't mind, I have work, and you and Chris have school."

He stood up and strode out of the kitchen without another word, leaving his wife and children sitting in awkward silence. Christopher looked between his mom and sister for a moment before standing up and following suit. "I'd better put on my uniform."

Elaine groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Mama, what am I going to do? I may never get another opportunity like this."

Rachel smiled sympathetically and put an arm around her daughter's thin shoulders. "Elaine, you're only 17, you have a world of opportunities still waiting for you. If this one passes you by, another will come up. Juilliard is just as renowned as the Royal Ballet School."

"But I want to go to London," she pouted.

"Well, there's still time. We'll see what we can do, hm?"

Elaine nodded and put her head down on Rachel's shoulder. "Thanks, Mama."

* * *

"What wrong, sweetie?" Elaine's best friend, Camilla Levitt, asked when she sighed sadly for probably the fifth time since lunch began.

"No kidding," Vivien said sharply, digging into her food. "You've been acting like a diva all day."

"Dear cousin," Elaine said, raising an eyebrow crossly, "need I remind you that I let you sit at our table out of the goodness of my heart? If I were so inclined, I could make you sit with the other freshman in the corner. You're very lucky that we seniors allow you to join us and tolerate your immaturity, harsh language, and… _what_ color is your hair today?"

Vivien laughed. "The goodness of your heart? Puh-_lease_! You only let me sit with you because your mom said you had to. And the color is periwinkle, thank you very much."

"It looks gray to me," Camilla pointed out.

"Well, it's supposed to be periwinkle."

Elaine rolled her eyes. "It looks trashy."

"That's what my father said," Vivien said, a big smile on her face. "I told him that was what I was going for. You should have seen his face!"

"Vivien, if I may offer you some advice?" Elaine said, but Vivien just shrugged and inspected her nails. "Perhaps you should spend more time working on other forms of self expression instead of wasting all of your energy trying to antagonize your father. You forget that I know him, and Uncle Jeremy is much more patient with you than you deserve."

"Whatever, Princess," she retorted as she stood up and began gathering her books. "A little rebellion is healthy. As irritating as Jeremy may find me, I do know a little bit about getting my way."

Elaine glared up at her cousin. "What are you getting at?"

Vivien smirked and leaned down, causing Camilla to lean away in distaste. "A little advice from a girl with _two _dads: make him think it's his idea. Men love to be in charge. You just need know which barb you gotta use to hit home."

She pulled her bag up her shoulder and wiggled her fingers at the two older girls who were still looking up at her skeptically. "Toodles."

Camilla wrinkled her nose and took a bite of her salad. "Seriously, your cousin is downright malicious."

"Yeah," Elaine mumbled as she watcher her cousin skip off. "But sometimes there's a method to the madness."

* * *

Elaine took a deep breath and peered over the banister into living room where Finn was watching the news. She could tell by the look on his face, though, that he probably wasn't absorbing too much. The house was quiet since Rachel had gone up for a bath and the last time she had looked in on Christopher, he had fallen asleep reading a book in bed.

She fiddled her fingers and paced back and forth at the top of the stairs in an attempt to gather her nerves.

"Lainey," he called and she stopped in her tracks. She crept back to the top of the stairs and looked down at him.

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Why are you pacing around up there?"

She shrugged. "No reason."

He looked up at her, a smile on his face and patted a spot on the sofa. "Want to join me?"

"S-sure," she called, and hurried down the stairs to plop down next to him.

"Everything okay?" he asked, turning down the volume. "You've been quiet all evening."

"Mhm, I'm fine."

"Is there something you want to talk about?" he prodded, looking at her knowingly.

She nodded sheepishly. "London."

"Lainey," he groaned, throwing his head back. "We've been over this."

"Please, Daddy, just hear me out!"

He looked at her in exasperation, but nodded his head for her to continue.

"I just wanted you to know that I understand all of your reasons for me not to go to England, but I just wanted you to know that you can trust me. You've raised me to be a responsible individual; don't you want me to go out and tackle the world? Don't you want everyone to see the amazing daughter you raised?"

"It's not you I'm worried about. It's other people. It's the distance. What if something happened to you? What if you needed your mom or me? It's not like we can be there in a few minutes."

"Daddy, you're spending too much time on the what ifs. You need to focus more on the benefits of the situation."

"It's my job to think of the what ifs."

"But, it's London. Think of the experience, how enriched I'll be. The culture, the history, the _ballet school_."

"Elaine," Finn said sternly. "You live in New York City, the greatest city on Earth! You got into Juilliard for Christ's sake. I don't see what more you want. I've worked hard to give you and your brothers all the opportunities in the world, can't you appreciate that?"

"To _you_ maybe!" Elaine snapped, losing her temper and causing Finn to look at her in confusion. "Daddy, you lived in Lima, Ohio your entire life. To you, New York _is_ the world. Believe me, I know the sacrifices you and Mama have made for us, and it's because of you that this isn't enough. My dreams are bigger than New York."

Finn set his jaw firmly, and Elaine knew that she had somehow pushed the wrong button. "We're done with this conversation."

"Daddy..."

"I've got work to do," he announced, standing up and shoving his hands in his pockets. "Tell your mother I'll be downstairs if she needs me."

Elaine nodded as he exited her room and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. She hadn't meant to hurt his feelings! Now she wasn't going to London and her father was _upset_ with her, and she didn't know which made her feel worse.

She ran upstairs, passed her confused, robe-clad mother, and burst into her room with a slam of the door. She flung herself onto the bed and pulled an irritated Tchaikovsky to her chest as tears began to flow down her face.

* * *

Things didn't get better as the days past. Elaine thought she had finally accepted the fact that she wasn't going to London, but she still cried her heart out on her mother's shoulder when the March 15th acceptance deadline came and went. Strangely enough, Rachel said nothing about it, and just held her as she sobbed.

And things had become awkward between she and Finn. She had tried to apologize, but he would just look at her blankly and the words would get stuck in her throat. She'd finally given up and decided to let things run their course, as much as it pained her.

They had never had a strained relationship, and it was killing her that he was treating her with such a detached demeanor. She'd never realized how much her daddy's smile and encouragement meant to her until she didn't have it anymore. Of course, he was never rude or snapped at her, but he said as little as possible and spent more time than usual down in the Man Cave. It had been like that for the better part of a week, so it came as a complete surprise to Elaine when he tapped lightly on her door one evening while she was working on homework.

"Hi, Daddy," she said with a smile, setting her book to the side.

"Your mom sent me up to tell you dinner would be done in a few minutes."

"Oh, okay. I'll be down in a few minutes." She began to gather her things, placing her paperwork in color-coded folders, while he watched.

"You really are your mother, you know that, right?" he commented, stepping into the room.

"I always thought it was a good way to be," she replied as he took a seat at the end of her bed.

"It is," he insisted. "You're all the best things about her. You're smart, talented, and passionate – but sometimes you want things too much. You're both very… _incorrigible _that way."

"Because I wanted to go to the Royal Ballet School?" she asked carefully, sensing this was about more than the way she kept her homework organized. He shrugged his shoulders and picked up a scrap of tangled paper that had fallen from her notebook. "Daddy it's one of the most prestigious ballet schools in the world, how can you blame me for wanting to go? New York City is my home, I always planned to come back."

Finn heaved a deep sigh. "And your mom just wanted to be on Broadway. Sometimes things don't turn out the way you plan them."

"What do you mean? Mama _did_ make it on Broadway. She's got the albums and a Tony to prove it."

"Yeah, after two marriages and three kids." He stopped and shook his head, lost in thought, and it slowly began to dawn on her that maybe his reluctance to let her go to London had little to actually do with her and everything to do with Rachel. "When we graduated high school, all she wanted to do was ditch Lima and head straight to New York. She wouldn't listen to anyone – not me or your grandpas. We just wanted her to slow down, to give it some time. I'm not saying she made a mistake, any reality where Mike and Andrew don't exist is just wrong, but maybe things would have turned out differently."

"Like I would have been conceived on the right side of the sheets?" she asked light-heartedly.

He turned to her in shock. "Who in the hell told you that?"

"Daddy, Uncle Kurt told me when I was, like, five."

"He would," Finn snorted.

"Well, I would have figured it out eventually. I was kind of _in_ your wedding pictures."

He chuckled, a sheepish smile on his face. "Yeah…"

"That and Michael always called me 'everyone's favorite mistake'." They laughed together for a minute, Elaine elated that they were finally getting back to normal.

"But that's beside the point," she said after their laughter had died down. "Just because I'm like Mama doesn't mean that I _am_ her. If things don't go my way, I'm not going to run off and marry a guy I hardly know, no matter how awesome his hair is. And on the off chance that I _did_, I don't think I'd have any regrets. I know Mama doesn't. I mean, do you?"

He looked at her thoughtfully for a moment and shook his head. "Not a single one."

"Then what's the difference?" she asked with a shrug.

"You're my little girl," he said simply. "I love you and I want you to have the world, but I'm learning the hard way how difficult it is to let you go."

Elaine smiled shakily. "You'll have to eventually."

"But does it have to be right now?"

She shook her head vehemently. "Nope."

He opened his arms to her then, and she crawled into his lap as if she were a little girl again. She cuddled into his chest, and sighed. "Are we all better?"

"We're all better," he murmured, placing a kiss on the crown of her head.

"I'm still going to miss London, you know?" she commented after a moment.

She heard him chuckle and he gave her one last squeeze before setting her aside gently.

"Who knows? These things have a way of working themselves out," he answered cryptically, heading towards the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, but he didn't turn around, and she watched in befuddlement as he left the room.

"Seriously, Daddy!" she yelled after him. "_What is that supposed to mean_?"

* * *

"Hey, guys," Elaine called as she walked into the living room and dropped her bags to the floor. She stopped in the doorway and stretched her back, surveying the mess her brothers had made in the living room.

"Hey," Andrew and Christopher said in unison, neither one of them bothering to look away from their first-person shooter.

"Where's Michael?" she asked.

"Cambridge," Andrew answered quickly, clicking madly at the controller. "Ha, a sniper rifle! You're so going down, punk!"

"What's he doing there? I thought he was supposed to come home this weekend."

"He's getting some boot-_ay_," Christopher announced, throwing himself bodily into Andrew as if that would affect what was going on onscreen.

"Ugh," Elaine groaned in disgust. "Corrupting our little brother much?"

"Hey, if I don't teach him these things, who will?"

"The kids at school?"

Andrew hit pause and Christopher turned to him in frustration. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Just a second, Chris. I have to educate our sister in the ways of men."

"Oh joy," she groaned. She plopped down in the overstuffed chair across from him and prepared for his undoubtedly inane lecture.

"You see, Lainey," he said, "the perversion of young male minds is a cycle. Only a few of us are really born with this natural talent… like Uncle Puck."

Elaine rolled her eyes. "You know it's going to be bad when Noah Puckerman is the only known expert on a subject."

"He's truly gifted," Andrew commented, nodding somberly. "Anyway, the rest of us have to rely on older brothers or really pervy dads. There's always one guy in a group with an older brother who tells him all the kinky shit he needs to know. Sometimes it's wrong, sometimes it's just plain weird, but it's always just enough information for that little brother to go and tell his friends, thus perpetuating the cycle. In my case, I was the guy with the older brother. And now, it's my time."

He placed a hand on Christopher's shoulder, who looked at Elaine and smiled uncertainly.

"That's the most disgusting thing I've ever heard. And where did Michael learn all that stuff? Daddy's not a perv."

"Stuart Fink. His older brother was quite the ladies man."

"Whatever," Elaine said. "I could have done without that useless piece of information." Her eyes fell to the mail on the coffee table in front of her as the boys resumed their game. Sitting underneath the bills and other junk was a large envelope with a fancy seal emblazoned on it. She nudged the rest of the mail to the side with her toe and raised her eyebrow when she saw her name on it.

She picked it up warily, opened the envelope, and pulled out a packet. On top was a letter addressed to her with the seal and letterhead of the Royal Ballet School at the top.

"_Dear Ms. Elaine Hudson,_" she read to herself. "_We are pleased that you have chosen to join us at the Royal Ballet School this year…_"

She looked at Andrew suspiciously. If anyone had the capability to play such an elaborate joke, it would be him. "Hey, what is this?"

"How should I know? It looks like an acceptance letter to Hogwarts or something." He chuckled as something exploded on the TV and Christopher groaned.

"I'm not kidding, Andrew," Elaine snapped, leaning over to smack him with the packet. "If this is joke…"

"Lainey, I don't even know what that is!" he insisted.

Suddenly Christopher jumped up and began laughing manically. "Plasma grenade in your face!" He began wiggling around to Elaine and Andrew's surprise.

"What is that?" Elaine gasped. "Do you have worms?"

"No joke, little dude. Leave the dancing to Lainey."

"Whatever, Andrew, I'll find out if you're screwing with me." She stood up and marched to the kitchen where she could hear her parents chatting as they made dinner. They were standing side by side at the kitchen island; Rachel mixing something in a bowl while Finn chopped tomatoes. He dipped his finger into the bowl with a smirk on his face, causing Rachel to giggle.

"Stop it, Finn," she murmured, her playful tone belying the reprimand. She bumped her shoulder against him as he chuckled, oblivious to Elaine standing in the doorway.

"Hi," she said before they could get anymore touchy feely.

Their heads snapped in her direction, and Rachel blushed prettily, taking a step away from Finn like they had been caught doing something naughty.

"Oh, hey, baby girl," Finn greeted, resuming his chopping. "How was rehearsal?"

"Fine." She stepped forward and held up the packet. "Do you know what this is?"

Rachel and Finn exchanged a look. "Not in the least, you know I don't read your mail," Rachel commented, causing Elaine to scoff.

"Please, you read Andrew's mail all the time!"

"Just his, and only because of the marijuana thing," she protested, looking insulted.

Finn shook his head, his face drawn at being reminded of Andrew's blunder. "What does it say?"

"Well, it says it's from the Royal Ballet School. But it doesn't make any sense; it's already passed the acceptance date. Is Andrew playing a joke on me or something?"

Finn looked up from the chopping board. "Why? You don't want to go anymore?"

"No, I just didn't think –"

"Because I already sent them a check, and I'm pretty sure it's nonrefundable."

"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked carefully, not quite believing her ears.

"The acceptance letter was due the 15th, wasn't it?" he answered nonchalantly, plopping a piece of tomato into his mouth. "So I sent it and the money last week. Did I forget to mention that last night?"

Elaine's mouth dropped open and she stared at her father in shock. "Really, Daddy?" she asked, finding her voice. "You mean I can go?"

He sighed and waited a moment before answering, "Yes, Elaine, you can go."

She gave a high-pitched squeal, causing Tchaikovsky to abandon his post in the window with a hiss, and flung her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Daddy! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"Well, there are a few conditions."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, sir! Anything!"

"No dating, no boys in your room, no flirting, in fact, no boys at all. And no tattoos."

She giggled, her eyes welling with tears. "Oh, Daddy, you're the best!" she cried, placing a sloppy kiss on his cheek.

"I know."

"I'll never forget this!"

"Can I get that in writing?" he asked, smiling over her head at Rachel.

She giggled again and placed a kiss on his other cheek. "Oh! I'm going to go call Vivien! She's going to be so happy for me. And Camilla! Oh, and Nya!"

Her parents watched as she ran from the kitchen in excitement and listened as she yelled happily at the boys in the living room.

"You are the world's best dad, you know?" Rachel commented as the sound of Elaine's footsteps tapered off as she hurried upstairs.

"Well, I try," Finn teased, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close.

"So, what did cause you to change your mind? You never did tell me."

He shrugged. "Lainey's a responsible girl, Rachel. We've done everything we needed to in order to ensure that she's a strong, independent young woman, and as much as I'm going to miss her, I know I have to let go sooner or later."

"It was totally that New York City is her Lima speech, wasn't it?"

"Why do I get the feeling that someone may have fed her that idea?" he asked, looking down into her face suspiciously.

Rachel shrugged, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "It wasn't me."

"So, you're saying that you didn't conspire with Jer and Kurt to have Vivien _nudge _her in the right direction?"

Her face went red and she bit her lip. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about," she finally said.

Finn laughed in response and leaned down to kiss her mouth.

"You, Rachel Hudson, are too much sometimes."

* * *

_**Reviewers:**__ yosefain – I-make-you-LOL – mackymacz – goodbeans – adriane7 – DreamerInHerOwnWorld – falafel90 – noro – wood-u-like-2-no - Im4evrursfaithfully – lisbonloafers – kakka – PeryneB – egyouppt – coffeevixen84 – Politics and Prose - tjcrowfoot_

_**Author's Note: **__A Cavatina update? Is this real life? _

_[Of course Rachel played Finn, she's the original girl with two dads. Duh!]_

_P.S. I got a new Tumblr, linkage on my profile.  
_

_**Disclaimer:**__ Glee is the property of Ryan Murphy and FOX. I'm just manipulating it for my own nefarious (and strictly nonprofit) purposes._


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